West Coast Friendship
by socrchick.xo
Summary: He's just a boy who forgot what truly matters, and she's just a girl who never learned how to let go. When he comes back to town with his two brothers, will she be able to handle it? Eventual Niley. Legal!
1. Chapter 1

Miley craned her neck in a desperate attempt to see over the heads of her fellow band mates. Getting frustrated, she used her elbows to force a hole big enough for her to squeeze through and quickly threw her body into it. Grunts of annoyance came from the others, but Miley freely ignored them. Her eyes took in the overwhelming crowd whom were all screaming energetically for the band that was playing, then swept over the flashing lights that lit the stage, finally settling on the performers themselves.

Miley had lived in the same town since she was three years old. Her family had moved her to Tennessee and she had loved it right away. She grew up playing with three boys who had lived just down the road from her house, but they had moved away when Miley was thirteen. They were famous now, those boys.

She had lived with just her dad and younger brother her whole life. When Miley was fourteen, her dad passed away in a car accident. Apparently, he had been asleep at the wheel. Miley had no other relatives, but her mom's best friend took her in. Now she lived in a house just down the road from her old one, along with her younger brother, Braison.

"Miley, we're on in five." Taylor, who doubled as Miley's best friend and guitarist, shouted from someplace behind her. Again, Miley had to force her way out of the wall of people. She finally spotted Taylor, who was making sure the blue strap of her electric guitar was properly adjusted, and skipped over to her.

"Ready to rock this place?" Miley asked excitedly, rolling on the heels of her signature green converse, one of her thumbs jammed into the front pocket of her white skinny jeans. Taylor took a second to flash her a thumbs-up, before refocusing her attention on her guitar.

"Two minutes!" The stage director hissed from someplace in the darkness, and Miley's stomach flip-flopped. She had done so many shows before, in front of so many crowds, but it still didn't stop the pre-performing nerves.

"You girls ready?" A masculine voice said from behind the two girls. Miley spun around to face her boyfriend of two years, Mitchell Oken. Her million-dollar smile was on her face, and a microphone was currently being pressed into her hand by the hidden stage manager.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Miley responded, as the music ceased to draft backstage. She could hear the voice of the lead singer, one of Miley's old friends, introducing the next act. It was showtime, and Miley's hands were visibly shaking. Mitchell gently pressed his lips to her forehead as an act of reassurance, and grabbed his lucky guitar.

"Where's Demi?" Taylor groaned, and Mitchell rolled his eyes in response. Leave it to Demi to show up last minute. There was a sudden outburst from the crowd, suggesting the band onstage was pumping up the energy for the next band. Miley's teeth applied pressure into her lip nervously.

"Sorry I'm late!" Demi's voice rang through the darkness. Miley squinted her eyes enough to make out Demi's slight figure walking up to them with her favourite drumsticks in her hand. "Traffic was terrible! Mom was literally thinking about switching our old van in for a monster truck." Miley snickered, along with her other band members. Mitchell's arm had made its way around Miley's waist reassuringly, and Taylor was eyeing the donut table with unmistakeable desire.

"...And with great pleasure, I would like to introduce to you my friends, _Catastrophe!_"

**- - - - - - - - -**

"_What!?"_ Nick Grey gasped in horror. The glass his brother was holding had slipped through his frozen fingers, the sound of glass shattering exploding in the crowded office.

"No. No, you can't do that! I refuse!" Joe spat, sinking into the chair nearest him. He was glaring at his manager with an unmistakeable amount of fury.

"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. We think this would be best for all three of you. And we have even already picked out the location." Their manager was saying, but the words just deflected off of them.

"No, there is no way! They can't make us 'take a break', or whatever garbage you're trying to feed us. They _can't._ What are they without The Grey Brothers?" Joe asked incredulously, shaking his head for emphasis. "Nothing, that's what." He continued coldly, before their manager opened his mouth to answer.

"I'm sorry, boys. This is final. You are taking a vacation from Hollywood for as long as it takes to get your head back on your shoulders, so to speak. We are sending you to live with your aunt in Tennessee, Cindy was it?" Their manager informed his horrified clients, without as much as a hint of sympathy in his voice. "Pack your bags, the private plane will pick you up at seven o'clock sharp Tuesday evening."

"No, wait –" Kevin started, but was cut off by the sound of the door slamming.

It was official, the Grey Brothers had hit rock bottom.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

_The following Tuesday ;_

"What are you talking about? Who's coming to stay?" Miley demanded over the kitchen island while eating her lunch. Cindy, her mom's best friend since her high school days and currently Miley's guardian, licked her lips nervously.

"You remember the three boys who used to live next door to you?" Cindy started cautiously, and Miley froze. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. "Their manager told them just a few days ago that they needed a break from the Hollywood scene. I told them they could come here to get back on track. Their parents are going to stay in their LA home, so I think we should have enough space…"

"No! Cindy, I- what are you-" Miley stammered, trying to collect her thoughts. "Can't they go someplace else? I mean, why here?" Cindy looked offended, as she slammed her coffee mug on the table suddenly.

"Why _not _here?" She spat, running a hand through her short coppery hair. Miley swallowed hard, fidgeting with a loose piece of thread from her shirt. She didn't want those boys back here. Especially since they had left four years ago with no effort to keep in touch with her. They had abandoned her, after claiming to be her best friends for ten years, and she wasn't about to forgive them.

"When they arrive," Cindy continued, after catching a glimpse of Miley's stressed expression, "I assume you will show them around. And be friendly, please. They're not here forever."

Without another word, Miley swiftly left the room, her stomach tangled in knots.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"That's the last of them." Kevin told the pilot as he dropped the third suitcase onto the cement. The pilot heaved the final suitcase into his arms and disappeared into the plane.

"Well, we'll see you boys when you get back." The boys' father said uneasily. He was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the three of them with the restraint of only his sister-in-law, but he knew it was for the best.

"Bye Kevin." Denise said briskly, pulling the oldest of the Grey Brothers into her embrace, a few tears bubbled in her eyes. She then pulled away and nudged him in the direction of the plane. "Be good, please."

"Bye Joe." She continued, pulling the next body in her line of sight into her arms. Just a few feet from her, Kevin gave his parting wave and entered the plane, sighing. "Please don't give your aunt a hard time, Joseph. It's not her fault you're on this break."

"I know mom. I'll see you when I get back. Bye dad." Joe said stiffly, releasing himself of his mother's arms. He was still furious that he was being sentenced to leave Hollywood without proper reason. This was his home; they couldn't just kick him out! His thoughts made him angrier as he turned towards their plane. With all eyes on his rigid back, he stomped onto the plane after Kevin and disappeared from view.

"Nicholas." His mother said finally, embracing him tightly. "I know this isn't something you boys want to do. But please understand that it's for the best? We'll get you back here as soon as we can, alright?" She pleaded; hoping one of her boys will talk to her.

"Yeah mom. See you soon." Nick said with a small forced smile, before following his brothers onto the plane. Joe was sitting in the back corner, pounding on the keys on his laptop. Kevin was texting furiously, his Ipod pressed into his ears. As Nick took a seat near the front of the plane, he couldn't help but mutter,

"This is going to be a long trip."

**

"This way boys!" A vaguely familiar voice called at them as they exited the airport. The three of them were frowning deeply as they tugged their luggage over to their aunt. The time change had already gotten to them; they were wobbly on their feet.

"Hey aunt Cindy." Kevin said with a large yawn. He led the way towards their aunt in the darkness. Nick stared at her car in disgust; an old, rusted Honda civic. They piled their suitcases into the car, before getting into it themselves. Kevin took shotgun, while Joe and Nick piled themselves into the backseat.

"So," Cindy started as she pulled out and into traffic, "Did you boys have a nice flight?"

"Yeah.." Kevin answered awkwardly. The rest of the drive was just as awkward.

**

When they finally arrived at Cindy's house, the four of them piled out of the car and tugged their luggage into the house.

"Just have a seat in the living room for one moment, please. I need to make the beds in your rooms." Cindy smiled, pulling her hair into a mini ponytail at the base of her neck. The three boys obediently sat down on the brown sofa, dropping their suitcases by their feet. They took in the room around them; it had been years since they had been there last.

"Who's that?" Joe asked suddenly, his eyes squinting at the window. Nick's head swivelled to look out into the street, where a muddy blue pick-up truck was bouncing into the laneway, its headlights illuminating the street. Multiple bodies were sitting in the back, a collection of both boys and girls. What were they doing here?

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"I'm just gonna go change, and then we can go, alright?" Miley asked her friends as she climbed out of one of her best friend's truck. She, along with the other members of the band in the truck, had just come from another amazing concert. They were going to celebrate like they usually did after a concert, but they stopped at Miley's so Taylor could drop off her bag of clothes for their sleepover.

"Alright, be quick." Mitchell said softly, eyeing Cindy's truck in the driveway. It was a school night, so they had little time to celebrate. Taylor and Miley darted up the driveway and burst through the front door. They immediately dashed up the stairs and Taylor threw her bag onto Miley's bed, as Miley ran into her closet. She emerged seconds later in dark washed jeans and a simple baby pink tank top. As they descended the stairs, a voice from the top startled them,

"Miley! You're home! How was the concert?" Cindy asked as she followed the two girls down the wooden staircase.

"It was fantastic, Miss J!" Taylor supplied while Miley ran into the kitchen to grab some water bottles for everyone.

"That's great girls, really. Oh! I forgot-" Cindy mumbled something unintelligible, before heading back up the stairs in a hurry. Taylor looked at Miley and shrugged, before catching sight of something over her head. Three boys whom she recognised from the television and posters covering her younger sister's wall were sitting in Miley's living room. She vaguely remembered Miley telling her they were coming to stay with Cindy, but it had been before the concert, so she had pushed the thought out of her head.

"Hey, look who's here." Taylor smirked at Miley's confused expression. Miley whipped around, her expression turning immediately sour.

"Well, look who it is." Miley spat, adding as much venom to her voice as she could manage. They looked good, she had to admit. Though their outfit choice made her want to worship the jeans she was currently sporting, Hollywood seemed to be doing them well. The five of them just looked at each other for a couple seconds before Joe finally broke the silence,

"What are you doing here?" Miley shook her head in mock disappointment.

"Joseph. I haven't seen you in years, and that's the first thing you say to me?" She asked innocently, and colour immediately rose in Joe's cheeks. A horn tooted from outside, which seemed to bring everyone back to reality.

"Cin, Miles and I are going out to celebrate. Be back later, okay?" Taylor shouted up the stairs, her blonde curls swinging. A crash was heard, before Cindy appeared at the top of the stairs again, replying,

"Alright. Not too late girls, you have school tomorrow." Her face was stern, and the girls nodded. The turned towards the door, and Miley waggled her fingers at the boys playfully before heading out. And so it began.

* * *

**Alright, soooo to clarify things, Miley and her friends plus Nick are all 17. Braison is 14, Joe is 19 and Kevin is 22. Miley is in a band that isn't signed yet, but they're trying haha.  
And the reason the 'grey brothers' didn't know why Miley was there was because they left before her dad passed, and they weren't in touch, so they weren't informed. Make sense? :)  
This was my attempt at a story, so I hope it wasn't too bad, haha. Reviews?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I own nothing but the plot**

_Later that night;_

"Okay, I've got another one!" Taylor laughed, twisting her marshmallow onto a metal skewer. Demi groaned, accenting what everyone else was too polite to say. Taylor's jokes were running dry that night and her friends were all struggling to laugh at them as she shot them out.

"Alright, so yesterday someone threw a coke can at my head," She started, and Miley looked up from the crackling fire with sudden interest. Finally, one joke she hadn't heard yet,

"It's a good thing it was a soft drink!" After a slight pause, the group couldn't help but chuckle; leave it to Taylor to come up with those things.

"Tay, pass me a marshmallow." Mitchell said from across the blazing fire. Taylor picked up the half-empty bag of gooey treats and shot it over the flames. Shaking his head, Mitchell twisted the bag open and proceeded to place a marshmallow on his own skewer.

"So I heard there's a representative coming from some record company to check you guys out Saturday?" David asked curiously.

"Rumours, David, that's all it ever is. Last time someone told us that representatives from Columbia Records were coming to check us out, and it turned out they were just normal people on vacation from Columbia." Demi shrugged and David slouched back in his chair. Miley studied David's deflated facial expression with slight interest.

David had just moved to Tennessee weeks before, but already fit in with the rest of them. He was always at their shows to confirm his support of the band and to help move the electronic equipment to multiple locations. It seemed everything he wanted to do was coordinated around the band.

"Alright, here's a good joke," Taylor started again, and Miley's head dropped in a dramatic gesture of annoyance. Here she goes again.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Clarify something for me Cindy," Joe commanded as he walked into a small chocolate brown bedroom, "Why was Miley here?" He took a moment to glance around the crowded room before stomping over to the bed he would be occupying. The sheets on the two twin-sized beds were freshly cleaned and the room had a faint overall smell of Windex.

"For the tenth time Joseph, she lives here!" Cindy snapped, as Nick stumbled his way into the dark room after her. Joe sighed in over-dramatic exasperation,

"For the tenth time, I know!" He snapped back, "But _why_ does she live here? She's got a perfectly good house down the road from here." Joe threw his bags onto his freshly made bed in anger. Nick walked over to what he was to call his own bed and sat down, desperately trying not to be dragged into their argument. He knew Kevin was the next room over, probably on a lovey-dovey phone conversation with his girlfriend. Yet, Nick would rather be in that room with him than where he was, with Joe bickering against his aunt.

"Her father died, Joseph! Show some respect!" Cindy finally shouted, her arms flinging wildly around to highlight her anger. Nick froze instantly with cold shock, but Joe saw more opportunity to argue,

"Respect? I was just asking why she was here! If you weren't so damn stubborn, then we wouldn't have a problem!" His face was burning with anger, his hands balled into fists.

"You will _not_ use that tone with me, young man!" Cindy retorted. The small hand she was using to point at Joe was shaking violently, and was cast out of view as Cindy spun around and slammed with door shut with exaggerated force. Silence.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

The tangle of bodies in the dark pick-up truck were all half-asleep. It was mere minutes past three in the morning, and each one of them had been suddenly overcome with exhaustion. Miley wasn't looking forward to getting home; Cindy was certainly going to be furious with her. Taylor was just as worried and everyone could tell, seeing as her constant stream of jokes had suddenly come to a halt.

"We're here." Mitchell whispered softly into his girlfriend's ear. She sat up in the limited space she was entitled and stretched her arms high above her head, before she slouched back into Mitchell's warm embrace.

"See you tomorrow." She murmured, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek and cautiously moving past bodies to get to the end of the truck bed. Once she had climbed over the tailgate, both Miley and Taylor trudged slowly into the house. Pushing open the front door with caution, the girls tiptoed in and headed quietly for the stairs. Breathing a sigh of relief, they smiled widely at one another as they reached Miley's bedroom door.

"You're back late." A voice hissed from the end of the hall. "Or should I say early?"

Miley squinted her eyes before making out the silhouette of none other than Kevin Grey, his arms folded over his chest as he approached her. She was not ready for this, especially in the wee hours of the morning. In fact, Miley never wanted to have to face the Grey's. It was awkward and uncomfortable, which brought anger and sadness to wash over her because they had once been the best of friends.

"What's it to you?" She hissed back, glancing sideways at Cindy's closed door a few feet down the dark hallway.

"Woah, I was just saying-"

"Mind your own business." Taylor supported, before hooking her arm with Miley's and marching into Miley's room. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief as Taylor gently shut the pale door, which took Kevin out of their line of vision.

"That was close." Taylor stated, referring to how awful it would have been if Cindy had awoken to find them coming in around three in the morning. After shoving a pair of her plaid pajama pants onto her long legs, Taylor danced a hairbrush through her long curls and let out a long yawn. Miley followed Taylor's actions before climbing under her purple comforter and heaving a restless sigh. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Morning." Nick mumbled, surprised when Braison walked into the cheerful yellow kitchen at seven the next morning. The thought of Braison and where he was staying had not even registered in Nick's mind since he was too occupied with the overwhelming thoughts of having to be there in the first place.

"Ugh." Came Braison's reply, which caused Nick to look up at him in confusion. Braison's face was free of any emotions whatsoever as he dropped a piece of bread into the toaster but Nick could feel an unpleasant vibe radiating off of him.

Nick's mind wandered in the silence that had quite suddenly filled the room, and settled on the events of the previous night. How was it possible that Billy had passed away, yet none of Nick's family had been notified? All along Nick thought they were all still family friends, but he had been utterly mistaken. Sure, he wasn't expecting a Christmas card on the holidays from the Stewarts or anything, but he was expecting to hear if something important had happened to them!

"...And then he was all, 'okay Taylor, whatever.' And I was like 'excuse me?'" A feminine voice drifted from the top of the stairs, and Nick groaned inwardly. The girls were approaching. He mentally cursed himself for being an early riser, since he had been dreading this conversation. The previous night, he had been expecting a warm welcome from Miley especially, but all he had gotten was a sarcastic remark before she took off. He was Nick Grey for crying out loud! Shouldn't the girls be falling all over him?

"Don't worry about him Tay, he's a jerk." Miley's voice floated through the silence of the kitchen, and Nick's stomach clenched. Just a few more seconds and they were going to walk through the door…

"Morning Brais." Miley chimed at her younger brother happily as she entered the room, before glancing around the kitchen and seeing Nick. He had a small grin plastered on his face that made Miley immediately roll her eyes.

"Morning Miles." Braison greeted his sister warmly, before grabbing his toast and exiting the room. Taylor's eyes were watching Nick curiously. From the look on his face, Taylor thought it looked like Nick was staring at Miley as if she was a math equation he was unable to solve.

In fact, Nick was thinking about how much Miley had changed since the last time he saw her. Her mess of brown tangles that she had worn proudly as a child were now perfect ringlets cascading to the middle of her back. Her teeth were perfectly straight, which meant the braces she had been sporting had served their purpose. She had gotten thinner, with curves is all the right places which made up a figure that could stop traffic on the freeway.

"What are you doing up so early?" Taylor mustered up the courage to say through the awkward silence. Miley fumbled with the cereal box in her hands and Nick looked thoroughly surprised that she was talking to him.

"Early riser. We're usually up early for interviews and things, so I guess it's routine." Nick hinted. Taylor just nodded politely, which caused a look of confusion to spread rapidly across Nick's face. Did she not recognise him? Why wasn't she asking for his autograph or screaming about how much she loved The Grey Brothers? He licked his lips and tried again,

"I don't think I introduced myself properly. I'm-"

"Nick Grey, international rockstar. Yes, I know. I'm Taylor Smith." Flipping her blonde curls, she walked over to where Miley was silently hovering over the counter, watching their strange exchange. She grabbed the bowl of cereal Miley had poured for her before she looked back up at Nick.

"And for the record," Taylor finally concluded with an unmistakeable glint in her eyes, "I'm not a fan."

* * *

**I know this story seems boring right now, beginnings usually are. It won't be forever, I promise haha.**

**Thank you sooooo much to everyone who reviewed! Reviews make me smile :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot**

_The following Sunday ;_

"I don't get it, Demi!" Miley whined, shoving the thick textbook across the floor aggressively and sighing in frustration. "None of this makes sense."

"Miley, it's not that hard," Demi huffed, rolling off her bed and landing beside Miley with a loud thud. She yanked Miley's textbook into her hands and took a few seconds to skim the text. Looking up at Miley's distressed face, she responded softly,

"You're not even reading the right page, Miles."

"You have got to be kidding me." Miley groaned, burying her face in her hands angrily. Demi shot her an understanding look and closed the heavy textbook thoughtfully.

"Maybe now's not the best time to do homework. Why don't we go downstairs and watch a movie or something?" She suggested. The girls only had few precious hours of weekend left, and Demi was not about to let them go to waste.

"Actually Dems, I think I'm just gonna head home. I have to finish this," Miley held up her textbook, "And pick up some groceries for Cindy," She sighed. Demi nodded, but in truth she wanted Miley to stay longer. She thought Miley deserved a break from the drama that accompanied the three curly-haired boys residing at her house, but couldn't convince Miley of that fact. The only problem Miley had voiced was getting followed home from school by some of the brothers' obsessed fans, which had in fact happened to her several nights before.

"Thanks for having me over, Dem." Miley smiled, collecting her textbook and loose pages to stuff into her school bag. She threw the heavy material over her shoulder and proceeded to follow Demi down the stairs.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"I'm so bored." Joe complained, throwing himself onto a wooden kitchen chair. Nick followed his annoyed sibling into the bright kitchen, plopping down on the chair next to his.

"I'll go see if Cindy will let us have the car keys. We could go to an arcade or something." Nick replied, jumping up once more. Joe nodded in response, as Nick moved out of the kitchen and through the hallway until he could hear the rattling sounds of the washing machine. Pushing open the small door, he found Cindy hunched over a folding table next to a washing machine loaded with tumbling clothes.

"Hey, is it okay if Joe and I use the car?" Nick asked quickly. Cindy glanced up with a long white t-shirt in her hands, a small smile forming on her face.

"You're not going to run away on me, are you?" She joked back half-heartedly. Nick shook his head impatiently, his brown curls flopping about. "Alright then. The keys are.. oh," Cindy dropped the wrinkly shirt and connected her palm to her forehead, "I dropped Braison off at his friends and then came home to see if Miley was here yet. I guess I forgot them in her room. You'll have to go look for them."

"'Kay." Nick replied, closing the door once more and sprinting up the wooden staircase. He veered to the left once he reached the top, and came to rest outside Miley's pale door. Pushing it open, he glanced around the vacant room with mild interest.

The walls were painted a glossy purple and the decorated curtains were drawn closed. Miley had a small television seated on an off-white dresser, which was pushed into one corner and had movie cases scattered all around it. Her bed looked much too large for one person, and was decorated with an assortment of coloured pillows. A beautiful acoustic guitar was propped up against her closet door, holding it open. She had a vanity desk that was scattered with loose papers, key chains, jewellery and dozens of bottles of.. girl stuff. The mirror attached to it twisted along the edges, making uncoordinated shapes at it rose to the centre of the wall. Standing directly beside it was a long, packed bookshelf filled with all sorts of books as well as various picture frames.

"Hmm.." Nick mumbled to himself, stepping into the one room he had been told was forbidden by the unwelcoming owner herself. His eyes skimmed the vanity desk, searching for the metal ring of keys. Seeing nothing of interest, his eyes darted to the off-white bookshelf next to him. Suddenly, his eyes caught something that pulled a gasp from his lips. He pulled a heavy frame off of the bookshelf and studied it closely, taking in the memories that played like a movie behind his eyelids. What was Miley doing with it?

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Miley turned her converse-clad feet down Main Street. The smell of the bakery wafted through the street, making her stomach growl with hunger. She quickly crossed the crowded street, reaching the other side just in time to see the stoplights turn green once more.

Walking as fast as she possibly could, Miley turned into a small grocery store that Cindy frequently visited. She immediately headed for the back, where the milk she was to pick up would be located. Grabbing a jug from the fridge and pulling out some change from her jeans pocket, she quickly made her way to the cashier and dropped the jug onto the counter.

"That'll be four seventy-five." The cashier told Miley, and she threw the money onto the counter hurriedly. She looked around as the cashier slowly made change for her, and saw a magazine headline staring back at her.

**Grey Brothers – Dead!  
**_Millions of fans around the world are worried – is Hollywood trying to cover up the death of the most popular rockstars of this generation? _

Miley snorted, picking up the magazine with great interest. The picture accompanying the article looked to be hundreds of people standing in front of an exquisite sunset, each one carrying a lit candle. The caption under it wrote,

_Fans are paying their respects in countries all over the world. The question remains at large - what happened to the Grey Brothers?_

"Miss?" The cashier asked suddenly, making Miley jump and slam the magazine down onto the counter in surprise. After blinking rapidly to get her focus back to reality, she smiled slightly at the patient cashier.

"I'll take this too, please." She said finally, pulling out some extra change to pay for the unexpected item. She couldn't wait to see the boys' faces when she got home.

**

With a magazine rolled in her palm, a jug of milk pressed into the other and a mocking smile on her face, Miley finally reached her destination. Sauntering up her driveway, she noticed someone lurking by the side of the house where the garbage cans were located. Confused, she walked backwards to put the mystery person back in view, and then burst out laughing.

"What is so funny?!" Joe demanded, fully dressed in ridiculous attire. He was sporting a huge black garbage bag over old grey sweatpants. Blue latex gloves covered his hands and goggles shielded his narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing?" Miley gasped between fits of giggles. Joe put his glove-covered hands on his hips in a swift motion he thought to be menacing, but it just got Miley laughing harder.

"Cindy asked me to take the garbage out, so here I am. I don't see what's so funny about it." He snapped, peeling off his gloves and shoving his goggles over his messy brown hair, which caused it to stick up in many different directions. Miley was doubled over in laughter; the milk and magazine were both on the ground and she was clutching her knees as she tried to gain her breath back.

"Oh my, god. I think this just made my day. Hell, I think it made my week." Miley chuckled when she had finally regained her ability to speak coherently. She watched as Joe ripped off the garbage bag and threw it into the trash after his gloves and goggles, an annoyed look settled over his features. Cindy must have pestered the heck out of Joe to get him to take the trash out because Miley had discovered that seeing any of the Grey brothers doing any form of housework was as common as seeing a live dinosaur in the backyard. It just was not happening.

"Yeah, whatever. What's that?" Joe demanded, nodding at the magazine Miley had recollected along with the jug of milk.

"You'll see." She replied with a smile, striding past him and skipping along the pathway to the front door. Once inside, Miley bumped into Kevin who seemed to be lurking in the front hallway.

"Where have you been?" He demanded, like an over-protective parent. Why did he even care?

"Out." Miley responded airily, making her way past his halted figure and into the kitchen. She dropped her ripped schoolbag onto the floor beside the table and smacked the magazine onto the table. She then moved deeper into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and placing the milk inside.

"What's that?" Nick asked from someplace behind her. Miley spun around to face him, and was surprised by what she saw. The look on Nick's face was neither the sneer she had become accustomed to, nor the fake smile he usually plastered on his face when Cindy was around. This time he had a small, _genuine_ smile adorning his features that made Miley suddenly appreciate how attractive he really was.

"An article about the Grey Brothers." Miley finally answered, peering over Nick's shoulder to see Kevin coming up behind him.

"Oh? What about us?" Kevin asked interestedly, while Joe entered the room after hearing mention of his famous surname. Nick moved closer to the table and glanced at the glossy front page where the headline was popping back out at him.

"Since when are we dead?" Nick asked in a mocking surprised tone, snatching up the magazine and holding it a close distance from his face as he scanned the article. "Apparently Hollywood is covering it up, but we're all really dead." He explained jokingly to his confused brothers.

"Right.." Joe muttered, running an unsure hand through his hair.

"I wonder what our manager is going to say about this." Kevin wondered aloud. Miley simply shrugged in response. She honestly believed their manager would let the fans remain in the dark until the Grey Brothers were ready to resurface. News barely travelled anywhere from that small town; it was ridiculous to think the Grey Brothers would be found.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Dinner!" Cindy hollered up the stairs, the sound echoing through the halls. Nick looked up from the magazine he was skimming, and Joe darted up from his attempt at a nap.

"Ugh," Joe groaned groggily, "What time is it?" Nick read out the time portrayed on the clock and Joe yawned tiredly.

"Only six thirty? It feels like midnight." He sighed, throwing his feet over the side of his bed and stretching. Nick shrugged, closing the magazine in his hands abruptly. His eyes followed Joe's as he slowly rose and left the room, but Nick made no move to leave.

His mind had been wandering all afternoon, ever since he found that single picture in Miley's bedroom. Since the moment Nick had arrived, Miley had been cold and uninviting, never once making an attempt to restore their old friendship. He thought that she would be grateful he was back – he was an international rockstar now! But the frosty exterior and nasty remarks that she continually shot at him were getting to be too overwhelming for Nick. He understood her problem; he would have been devastated if she had ditched him all those years before. But that remained the issue - _years _had passed since then! Doesn't the term 'forgive and forget' even register in her mind?

"Nick?" Joe's voice drawled, and Nick's eyes wandered to the door where Joe's head was poking in. "You coming or what?"

"Yeah, man." He responded casually, getting up and following Joe out of the room. They descended the staircase quickly and entered the kitchen at the same pace. The two brothers sat down at the round kitchen table, which was already encircled by Miley, Kevin and Cindy.

"Alright, dig in everybody." Cindy smiled, grabbing a plastic container of salad and proceeding to place some onto her plate. The multiple dishes of food were passed around the table, the group placing a variety of foods on their plates as each dish reached them.

"So, how was your day?" Cindy continued, signalling that she was talking to Kevin.

"Good. Spent a lot of time on the phone with Danielle." He answered quietly, a soft smile entering his face when he mentioned his long-term girlfriend.

"Well, that sounds like fun. How about you, Nick?" The conversation continued as the five gathered around the table munched on their dinner. Nick swallowed a large mouthful of mashed potatoes before answering,

"It was pretty boring. Joe and I didn't do much since we couldn't find the car keys." Nick responded, glancing at Joe on his right. Joe was smacking and chomping on his food loudly, earning a disgusted glance from Miley across the table.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that." Cindy told him, her sympathetic tone genuine. "And you, Miles? How was Demi?"

"She's crazy, as usual." Miley smiled happily, speaking fondly of her close friend. "We're totally psyched for the talent show at school tomorrow. Our band was chosen to play as the big finale this year." She continued proudly. Miley's band was like her family; she loved it with every fibre of her being.

"Oh, wonderful! That means Nick will get to see you perform." Cindy said confidently. The air was suddenly tense; four forks were suspended in mid-air.

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked cautiously, glancing at the confused faces around the table. Cindy took a deep breath and began to explain,

"Well as you know, you boys aren't leaving anytime soon. And because Nick should be graduating this year, your manager and I have discussed what options we should look at for his education. Since he usually has private lessons and we can't get that here, we've decided Nick's going to try and go to a regular school. Tomorrow Miley's going to show him the ropes, and if the principal accepts, Nick starts as soon as possible."

Silence.

"Oh man." Kevin mumbled under his breath as his nervous gaze flickered from Nick to Miley. Nick could feel his face getting hot as his anger boiled. He being sent to a regular school? _Nick Grey_ was going to some lame school with a bunch of ordinary people?! This was not happening. He wasn't going to let it.

"There's no way in hell I'm going." Nick shot angrily, making everyone around the table jump as he slammed his fist onto the table. "I'm Nick freaking Grey! Why doesn't anybody understand that!? I deserve to be in Hollywood, not this disgusting place you call a home!"

"Newsflash Nick," Miley shouted after seeing the hurt wash over Cindy's features, "The world doesn't revolve around you! This place is beautiful, and you would realize it if you weren't obsessed with yourself!"

"I am not obsessed with myself! I _know_ that I'm above this kind of garbage! And I know for a fact my manager would get me out of here the second he heard what you were saying to me!" Nick roared, both his hands curling into fists as his fury grew towards the brunette across the table from him.

"You're stuck here until you get over yourself, what part of that don't you get!? When will you learn to stop treating other people like trash, and get the heck out of here? Did you ever stop to think we don't want you here either!?" Miley fired back at him at the same moment she jumped off of her chair, sending it to the floor with a deafening crash.

"Then why am I here, huh Miley? Why did my manager send me here, of all places?! Huh?" Nick yelled back, standing up to his full height in an attempt to scare Miley off. Cindy's head was cradled in her palms, and Kevin had jumped up as Nick did. Joe was wearing a shocked expression as he silently watched Kevin trying to coax Nick back into his seat,

"Come on man, calm down. Stop it!" Kevin urged Nick, trying desperately to stop them from arguing. Nick shook Kevin off, staring directly at Miley as she glared at him with an intense fury he had never witnessed before.

"You want to know why you're here, Nick? Everyone knows what a piece of crap you really are. None of your other family members were willing to take you. But Cindy did and you should be grateful! Ugh, you little-" Miley broke off with a frustrated scream. To Nick's complete surprise, he saw a large amount of clear blue liquid bubbling up behind her furious eyes. She pulled in a deep, ragged breath and then stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Way to go, Nick." Kevin muttered sarcastically, shaking his head in disappointment and retreating to his room also. Joe looked at Cindy who was almost in tears herself, before glancing up to meet Nick's eyes. Joe's eyes were echoing the confusion and shock he felt from Nick's outburst, while Nick was left with a sickening feeling; remorse.

"Get to bed." Cindy found the strength to muster out, before standing up slowly and circling the table to collect the half-empty plates. Nick and Joe walked silently alongside one another, climbing the staircase in an awkward motion.

**

Nick awoke quite suddenly, his eyes popping open to reveal nothing but darkness. He sat upright and squinted his eyes as he tried to read the time displayed on his clock, but had no such luck. However it was obvious that it was very late, as there was no light streaming in from the window. Joe was snoring someplace in the darkness that surrounded him, making it increasingly difficult for any attempt Nick made at falling back asleep. Groaning quietly, he pulled himself out of his warm bed and out padded out into the hallway. Every light in the hallway was unlit also, except for the small amount of yellow light escaping from under Miley's door. Suddenly overcome with great interest, Nick tiptoed the short distance to the brunette's door and pressed his ear against the wood.

"..I don't know, Mitch. What I did was so uncalled for. But every time he says something I take it so personally and I can't help but get angry." Miley was saying, and instantly Nick registered that she was talking about him. There was a silence, which was accompanied by a round of deep sniffling to be heard from where Nick stood. Was Miley, the strong, fearless girl Nick had become familiar with, actually _crying_?

"Yeah, I know. But if it happens again, I don't know what I'm going to do. Cindy and Braison are all the family I have left; I can't take it when Nick insults either of them." Her voice wavered and hitched, making Nick instantly feel like he was the cruellest person on the planet.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, babe. Love you, too. Bye." A deep rattling sigh was heard before an almost inaudible beep. Nick retreated from the door feeling worse than he had before. He was a horrible, _horrible _person. He watched as the light beneath Miley's door flickered off, absolutely sure he was feeling the worst he had felt in forever. As he made his way back to his bedroom, he whispered a promise to the darkness.

When light spilled over the horizon, Nick Grey was determined to change.

* * *

**Woah, it's been awhile, sorry about that. **

**Haha, well long story short - my laptop is three provinces away on my grandma's kitchen table. The chapter I had written was on it and everything, so I had to use my brothers laptop to re-type it, hence why it took so long. I tried to make this one really long to make up for not updating.. so sorry again!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

_The next morning ;_

Something was pressing on Miley's ribcage, making it uncomfortable for her to breathe. In an attempt to remove it, she flipped onto her stomach and heard a swift intake of air that certainly didn't belong to her. The loud bang followed after it caused Miley's eyes to snap open in shock.

"Thanks Miley. Just throw Taylor off the bed like she isn't important." As Miley's eyes adjusted to the sudden stream of light, she noticed a chunk of blonde curls lying on the floor beside her bed.

"Tay? What are you doing here?" She wondered idly, remaining unsure whether or not she was dreaming.

"I'm so pumped for today, I couldn't sleep. So I came over and decided to wake you up.. and here we are." Miley's best friend chirped happily, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "Now get up, girl!"

"Fine, fine." The brunette groaned as she sat up with exaggerated slowness before yawning tiredly, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get your butt out of bed." Taylor sing-songed, opening Miley's bedroom door and skipping her way out. Miley giggled to herself; Taylor was one crazy girl. She then left her dim room and entered her bathroom to comb through her mess of brown curls. When her hair lacked any knots, Miley finally descended the stairs where Taylor's voice was drifting through the quiet house.

"And that's what happens when you microwave a marshmallow peep." The blonde was concluding, earning a hearty chuckle from the other female present in the kitchen. Miley swept into the kitchen in her striped pyjamas, which made Taylor smile hugely.

"Good morning Miss Miley." Cindy chimed with a smile. She was dressed in her usual businesswoman attire, with thick black heels and her hair pulled into a soft bun. "I don't think I'll be home in time for dinner. There's leftovers in the fridge unless you want to pick something up on your way home."

"Sounds good." Miley said easily. She was used to making her own dinner. Cindy's work hours were all over the place, so Miley had to spend the night with only Braison on multiple occasions.

"Kevin went out for a jog, he should be back soon. Well, that's it. Good luck today, I know you'll rock it. See you when I get home." Cindy continued before giving the girls a parting wave and exiting the kitchen. Miley grabbed a plate from the cupboard and dropped some toast into the toaster.

"So when are you gonna wake Nick up?" Taylor wondered while she munched on some fruit. Miley shrugged,

"I thought he'd be up by now." The brunette replied honestly. Nick had been awake before her on every other morning except that one, so Miley was thoroughly surprised that he wasn't already up and arguing with her.

"Can I do it?" Taylor asked excitedly. Miley chuckled and nodded, grabbing her toast from the toaster and proceeding to slather it with raspberry jam. After returning the jam back to the fridge, she took a seat at the kitchen table.

Taylor had stood up from her chair and was standing in front of the large antique mirror in the hallway. Her face changed from excited to desperately shocked in seconds, before she released a scream that probably woke the people on the other side of the world. Before Miley had the chance to ask any questions, Taylor turned to her with a victorious smile on her face and a small wink.

Two large echoed around the house, before another intense bang that signified a door whipping open. Two bodies hurled themselves down the stairs at a speed that looked inhumanly possible, and came to rest suddenly in front of Taylor.

"What's wrong!?" The boys chorused, referring to the shocked expression Taylor had replaced on her face. The blonde turned back to the mirror and whined in a high-pitched voice,

"I have a _huge _zit!" Best actress of the year award goes to…

"You have got to be kidding me." Joe replied angrily, while Nick's face turned a deep red. Taylor shook her head furiously, jabbing a finger at her forehead.

"Does this look like a joke to you?" She cried, and Joe looked appalled. He couldn't believe his ears, but was smart enough not to say anything offensive. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Miley was trying to muffle her laughter by rapidly shoving her toast into her mouth. Nick was looking at her for confirmation of Taylor's behaviour, but Miley was having trouble assembling her poker face.

"Whatever, I'm going back to bed." The older Grey grumbled, angry phrases rolling off his tongue as he climbed the staircase. Taylor skipped back to her seat next to Miley, discreetly giving her a high-five under the table and releasing a small smile.

Miley had a smug look settled over her features, impressed by Taylor's performance. Nick stared at her with wonder bubbling up inside of him. If he hadn't heard it himself, Nick never would have believed the confident brunette before his eyes had been crying because of him the night before. Remembering his promise, Nick took a deep breath and said in a small voice,

"I'm sorry."

Miley dropped her toast and Taylor choked on a large gulp of orange juice. This was a big deal. Scratch that, this was a _huge_ deal.

"Hold on, rewind. Did Nick Grey just apologize?" Miley asked, eyebrows raised in surprise when Taylor's coughing fit had finally subsided. She was aware that Nick's eyes were on her as she glanced sideways at Taylor. The brunette then turned back to Nick, debating whether or not to believe his sincerity. Even though on several accounts an apology would have been necessary, this was the first time Nick had actually given one.

"Look, if you're not going to forgive me-"

"No, I accept your apology. Thanks, Nick." Miley smiled slightly, cutting off the beginning of Nick's worried ramble. Visibly relaxing, he stepped fully into the kitchen and headed directly for the fridge. Taylor turned to Miley suddenly,

"Wait. What was he apologizing for?" The blonde asked curiously. Nick watched as Miley shrugged indifferently, a smile forming effortlessly on his lips.

"It doesn't matter now, right? It's done." Miley said confidently. She was willing to get over the previous night's drama and start fresh. Everything looked different in the light of morning, and Miley was convinced that the argument wasn't worth stressing over anymore.

Nick regarded her reaction thoughtfully. Maybe, just maybe, they could learn to get along.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"I wonder if Demi remembered we're performing today?" Taylor spoke as the three of them left the house and began to walk to school. "I hope she didn't forget.. again."

"You and me both, Tay." The other female replied with a slight chuckle. Nick followed the two bubbly girls down the remainder of the scarcely lit street. The sky was radiating enough light to trick the streetlights into fading out, but light was still scarce. The smell of damp grass invaded Nick's senses, reminding him that it had rained the previous night. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the faint tingling sensation the misty air brought with it. Pleasure walks were something he didn't get the chance to experience frequently, and he was enjoying every moment of it while it lasted.

"So, what's your band's name again?" Finally realizing there was a slightly awkward silence settled over them, Nick broke it with a question he had been wondering for a small while.

"Catastrophe." The girls replied at the same moment, throwing a smile at him over their shoulders. Nick shook his head, slightly creeped out. But then he focused on their reply, and a smirk adorned his features.

"Catastrophe?" He repeated with a small laugh, "You couldn't think of something better than that?"

"Excuse me, but I don't think it's any of your business what we name our band." Taylor scoffed. It was obvious she was greatly offended; she had come up with the name. The members had suggested more creative names, but Taylor wouldn't hear of changing it. At practices she started referring to them as 'Catastrophe' at any given opportunity. The name eventually stuck, much to Mitchell's intense dislike.

"That's seriously the lamest name I've ever heard. If you guys ever get signed and everyone laughs at you, don't say I didn't warn you." Nick replied casually. In all honesty he didn't mind the name, but getting Taylor uptight was easily achieved and humorous. He had promised himself he would right his relationship with Miley, but that didn't include Taylor too.

"Well at least we have _some _creativity. I mean, it's not like we had to resort to using our last names." Taylor shot back accusingly. Nick shook his head mockingly and soaked his voice in sarcasm,

"Yeah, because being a Grey is so much worse than being a tragedy."

"Would you two shut up?" Miley finally demanded. Nick released his defensive position and Taylor shot Miley an apologetic look. "Nicholas Grey, stop getting Taylor all worked up. We're already stressed enough as it is."

"Oh, so now we're pulling out the full name card." Nick huffed. He was close to pointing out that Taylor had equally contributed to the argument, but after receiving Miley's death glare, he stayed quiet. Instead, he caved with a long sigh, "Okay, no more arguing."

"Good. And by the way, you're about to step in-" The blonde started, before slapping a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing. Nick glanced down at his uncomfortably heavy shoe, only to realize there was a cold liquid soaking into the fabric on his left foot.

"Damn," He sighed, shaking his soaking shoe in an outward direction as he attempted to remove the access water. "These were my good shoes."

"Aw, muffin." Miley mocked playfully, jutting her bottom lip out and cocking her head to one side. Nick rolled his eyes and gave her a light shove to get her walking again. It was going to be a long day.

**

"Welcome to hell." Demi's greeting, which was directed as Nick, caused Miley to laugh loudly. Miley, Taylor and Nick had come to a stop outside the school's front door, where Demi had shown up shortly after. She was in a _wonderful_ mood.

"Come on, let's get inside before we get mobbed." Taylor commented, glancing around. Girls and boys alike were staring; some in shock while others were snickering. A good majority of the students had the previous days newspaper in sight, and were breathing a sigh of relief that the rumours weren't true.

"I'll meet up with you guys later?" Miley asked the girls as they entered the building. Taylor and Demi confirmed before leaving her and Nick alone. Miley then turned to Nick, "We have to check in with the principle."

The two set off, wandering into the main office and up to the secretary's desk. The elderly woman behind the counter gave the two teenagers a piercing glare as they explained their situation, before she yanked her phone off the receiver and messaged the principle. They were ushered into the principal's room after a brief wait, each of them taking a seat in the chair across from the principal himself.

"First off, I would like to say welcome to our school. It is a pleasure to have you back here after so long." The near-bald gentleman was saying, a polite smile reflecting back at the teenagers, "So now we cut to the chase. For today, we are just going to give you Miss Stewart's schedule and see how well you cope. At the end of the day, you will report back here and I'll look over your day's progress. Any questions?"

Nick and Miley both shook their heads. The principal dismissed them shortly after handing Nick a schedule identical to Miley's. The two left the office, stares and whispers following them as they walked the halls.

"Is it always like this for you?" Miley asked in hushed tones. Nick glanced around the crowded halls, finding that everyone was watching him curiously.

"Mostly. Usually there's screaming and fainting too, but this is pretty much it." Nick replied, a smile in his voice. Miley laughed, finally reaching her locker and spinning in her combination. Demi appeared from out of the blue, with Taylor following close behind her.

"Hey girlie! ..and Nick." Demi's voice sang cheerfully. Miley smiled, while Nick shifted uncomfortably. The halls were still unnaturally quiet, and it was something Nick had never experienced before. Was it weird that he was more used to screaming fans than the silence?

"Hey, are you Nick Grey? Can I have your autograph?" A timid voice came from beside Nick, and he turned to find a girl with long blonde hair blushing furiously. He shot her a small smile and reached for the pen in her hand, quickly scribbling his name across a pad of white paper she had shoved at him.

"Here you go. What's your name?" He asked the girl, who was now beaming at him.

"Nikki. I'm a huge fan!" She replied excitedly, and Nick chuckled. He wrote a small message for her underneath his signature, before handing her back the notepad. "Thanks so much!" Nikki then took off to where her friends were waiting, all with excited smiles on their faces.

"Well wasn't that just adorable." Taylor cooed, dragging Nick's attention back to the girls. He shot her a look, which only made her more satisfied with herself. Her and Demi were still standing beside Miley's open locker, but Nick quickly realized Miley wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where'd Miley –oh." He finally caught sight of her, leaning on a locker a small way down the long hallway. The locker beside her was open and a tall, dark-haired brunette was throwing his bag into it. She was smiling as she brought a dark red rose up to her nose, twirling the stem between her fingers. The noise level had picked up considerably in the hallway, but Nick imagined that the conversation the two were having was for their ears only.

"I didn't know Miley had a boyfriend." Nick said finally. Taylor glanced over her shoulder and saw Mitchell plant a soft kiss on Miley's lips. The blonde smiled and turned back around to face Nick, while Demi just shook her head. She obviously did not approve of PDA.

"Well she does. They're in a pretty serious relationship." Taylor replied seriously. "His name's Mitchell." Nick glanced back to where the two brunettes were standing and nodded.

The bell signalling the beginning of homeroom sounded, and immediately people began to move to their respective classes. Miley returned to the group to place the rose delicately in her locker, before slamming it closed. The four teenagers walked toward their homeroom, preparing for few hours of pure boredom.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Lunch: Miley's favourite subject.

"So, how are you enjoying your first day?" David asked as he sat down at the lunch table. Miley and Nick had just sat down also, whereas Mitchell, Demi and Taylor were already seated. Mitchell's arm automatically went around Miley's waist, and she leaned into his side.

"It's not so bad." Nick replied with a shrug, "I don't think I'll be able to use my right hand anytime soon, though." He flexed his fingers painfully. All through the morning classes, Nick had been forced to sign autographs for countless people. Finally sensing Nick's impatience, Miley had had enough and told the crowd off. Surprisingly they listened to her and regardless of the reason, Nick was glad.

"Oh by the way Nick, this is David and Mitchell." Taylor said pointing to each person in turn. David gave Nick a small wave as his welcome, before his attention shifted to his full lunch tray.

"Hey, man." Mitchell nodded. Nick returned the gesture to both Mitchell and David respectfully. As soon as introductions were over, Demi quickly sparked a conversation to catch everyone's attention as they ate. As Nick listened, he caught Mitchell watching him from the corner of his eye. When he looked over, Mitchell shot him a glare and tightened his grip on Miley's waist. The curly haired boy shot Mitchell a look of surprise and confusion, which he freely ignored.

"It's right after lunch." David was saying, "We're suppost to wait outside the theatre doors." Mitchell glanced at his watch briefly and smiled,

"Well, we might as well go now." The group arose, along with a few other students situated at tables scattered across the cafeteria. The initial shock of having Nick Grey in touching distance had worn off, but his more obsessed fans were still drooling after his every move. When he stood up, a group of giggling girls shot up and immediately followed him out.

As the bell rang, a few teachers came out of the theatre doors and propped them open. Students trickled in randomly, until finally the whole theatre was packed solid. The group of six had gotten seats near the front row, so they had a perfect view of the entire stage.

"Excited?" Mitchell asked after awhile, squeezing his girlfriend's hand. She flashed him her signature smile and quickly nodded.

"She's always excited." Demi giggled. Taylor immediately launched into a story that was relevant to the conversation, her arms gesturing wildly as she spoke. Nick watched the five of teens interact, unsure of his place in their conversation.

When the theatre had finally gone quiet and the lights dimmed, Nick breathed a sigh of relief. Between the awkwardness in the previous conversation and the fact that everywhere he looked girls looked just about ready to jump him, Nick was ready for some peace and quiet. Usually he had a bodyguard with him at all times to ensure his safety and without him around, Nick felt unprotected and uneasy.

"You'll like this, Nick. This school's got talent." Miley whispered in his ear, flashing him a momentary thumbs-up. Nick smirked as a spotlight appeared on stage and the curtains drew back. Unsure if she could hear him through the applause of the audience, he replied,

"We'll see."

* * *

**Filleeeer. But this chapter was needed, promise :)**

**I'm not sure how many of you guys have a theatre at your school? Mine's pretty big, and that's how I imagined this one.  
****  
..So, here's my random fact: The only Jonas on my wall is Kevin. He's my favourite (:**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

_How does it feel, how does it feel?_

_You're different from me._

A petite brunette danced across the grand stage, her performance leaving the audience breathless. Her moves were flawless as she gracefully leapt and twirled through her routine, completely in sync with the rhythm of the music. When her figure became still and the song came to a close, the entire theatre was clapping and hooting with approval.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Taylor commented, her eyes sparkling with envy. Both Miley and Demi quickly agreed, while Nick nodded his response. He had no interest in dancing, but the routine had in fact been something out of the ordinary.

"What a wonderful performance," The teacher hosting the talent show had come out from behind the curtain, the spotlight illuminating her as she spoke, "Next up we have Lucas Tale, who is going to perform some magic tricks for us."

"Magic tricks? That's so second grade." Demi snorted, slouching back in her seat. Miley shot her a disapproving glance, while Mitchell chuckled. The boy who walked onto the stage was anything but nervous; a genuine performer in the flesh.

"Hi everyone." Lucas said into his microphone. He was a year younger than Miley, but his height would of suggested otherwise. With shaggy blonde hair and a killer smile, most girls didn't mind the age difference. Taylor included.

Lucas continued to introduce himself, followed by a string of corny jokes that seemed to make Taylor hysterical. The backstage help had brought out a table and placed it in the middle of the stage while he spoke. Lucas stood behind it, organizing some materials that Miley couldn't quite make out.

"You guys like playing with fire?" He asked the crowd, smiling happily when they cheered in response. Lucas picked up a container of powder from the table and popped open the lid. Taking out a small handful, he held his palm out so everyone could see what it was. It looked almost identical to baking soda, but there was a defined shape to each particle of the white powder.

"Ready?" Lucas smirked, before throwing the powder into a container of green liquid and jerking his hand back. Tiny explosive sounds were heard as the powder suddenly flew out of the disgusting liquid, burning a red-orange colour. Each bit flew in a different direction, a tiny particle of fire blazing through the air. Before any fell to the ground, they burned out with such a pace that it seemed impossible.

"Oh my.." Demi gasped. Some people were clapping, others looking around in awe. Lucas smiled and took a mock bow, returning to his position behind the table.

"I'm going to try something else with you guys." He started again, picking up a variety of objects. He announced that he was skilled at juggling, and asked if a volunteer from the audience would help him out. Taylor shot up before anyone else had the chance to digest what he was saying, a smile on her face as she waved her hand high in the air. Lucas chuckled and invited her up to the stage, which she did quickly.

"Alright, I'm going to light these up, and I need you to hold them for me while I get ready. As I juggle them, I'm going to put the flames out one by one." Lucas told Taylor, and she nodded excitedly. He took a lighter to the ends of three pieces of rope, Taylor holding two and him one. As the ends of rope lit up brightly, so did Lucas' face.

"Alright, here we go." He tossed the single rope he had in his hands around, creating the illusion of a flaming circle in the dim theatre. He ordered Taylor to throw the next one at him, which she did quickly. He caught it out of reflex, and twirled the two of them around effortlessly. It was mesmerizing, and Miley could feel her eyes bulge hugely as she watched the event before her eyes.

"Ready?" Lucas asked again, and smiled when no one dared to speak. Not one person was breathing as Taylor threw Lucas the third rope. When he caught it with ease, the audience went crazy. Hollers of delight and a large applause filled the previous silence, students turning to their friends with surprise.

But when Lucas muttered a profanity that caused the teachers to look at him with disapproval, not a single person in the theatre was talking. It took all of five seconds for the fire alarm to go off and the crowd to go into a frenzy. Everybody was running this way and that, knocking over their peers in an attempt to get to the fire exit.

"Let's get out of here!" Mitchell yelled, shooting out of his seat and booking it towards the fire escape. He and David were out of sight before Nick, Demi or Miley had the chance to stand up. When they finally had, Demi grabbed Miley arm and preceded to pull her up the theatre stairs, Nick in tow.

"Where's Taylor?" Miley asked frantically, whipping her head back in the direction of the stage. Everywhere she looked was chaos; students and teachers alike trying to leave the theatre as quickly as possible. All order was lost. There was think black smoke billowing out of the curtain where it had caught fire, the flame rapidly spreading up towards the overhang.

"Miley, we have to go! She probably already left!" Demi urged, yanking on Miley's sleeve again. Her voice was panicked and her face was desperate as she tried to convince Miley to leave.

"Go ahead, I'll meet you out there." Miley finally decided, removing her arm from Demi's firm grip. Nick shook his head and Demi made a move to protest,

"No Miley –"

"_Go_." Without another word, Demi spun on her heel and darted towards the exit. The smoke was hanging thickly in the air, pressing on Miley's lungs uncomfortably. The brunette had a brief sense of Déjà vu as she pushed past dozens of frantic people and ran towards the stage. Climbing up the stairs caused Miley to launch into an immediate coughing fit. The smoke was burning Miley's eyes as she searched for a chunk of blonde curls, her throat burning as she pulled in ragged breaths. It was devastatingly warm, causing beads of sweat to form on the brunette's forehead.

"C'mon Tay." She whispered under her breath as her eyes darted around uneasily. It had seemed like such a good idea to look for Taylor while Miley had been breathing in clean air, rather than gasping in smoke. Now the idea seemed idiotic. What if Taylor really had left the building already?

Miley made a move to turn around when a flash of silver caught her eye. Curiosity got the better of her and Miley quickly moved towards it.

"Taylor?" She called, squinting through the black wall of smoke. Miley's hands shot out as the sound of coughing registered in her mind, frantically trying to find something, or rather someone, to grab. A hand reached out and latched onto Miley's wrist, which she yanked back in surprise.

"Miley?" A frightened Taylor demanded, her face squinted against the heat and smoke. Miley let out a large gust of air as relief flooded through her. Taylor was there and she was unharmed. Now all they had to do was find their way out of the theatre. Miley tried to listen for a large crowd that hinted towards the exit, but she couldn't separate one sound from another. The cackling of the fire in her ears did not do much to block out the constant ringing of the fire alarm and the sounds of water falling heavily suggested the sprinklers had finally turned on.

Miley was tugging Taylor behind her as she searched frantically for the stairs again. The fire was starting to scare both of the girls since it had already spread rapidly across the overhang and down the other side of the curtain. Backstage props were aflame also, making that area completely off-limits.

So when another hand clasped firmly around Miley's wrist, she had no idea what to think. She tried yanking her wrist back, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice,

"Miley! It's me, Nick! Come on, we have to get out of here!" The curly haired brunette shouted, continuing in the opposite direction Miley had started for. She mentally prayed that his sense of direction exceeded hers, and allowed him to drag her through the thick haze.

It seemed like they had been walking for a long time. Were they lost? The stage was only so big. Then again, Miley was starting to feel dizzy. Her legs felt rubbery and her eyes kept going in and out of focus as the thick smoke threatened to choke her. Taylor's grip on her hand didn't seem so tight anymore and the world seemed to be tilted at an awkward angle.

And then suddenly, it was like a thousand pounds had been lifted off of Miley's chest. She could breathe deeply without that disgusting scratchy sensation, and the haze of black had vanished. Blinking her eyes desperately, she could make out figures of hundreds of students; along with the beautiful red colour that signified fire trucks were in the area.

"Are you okay!?" Nick twirled around to check on the girls when they were a far enough distance from the burning building. Both girls were wearing dazed expressions, while Taylor was also breathing heavily.

"I-I think so. How about you, Tay?" Miley stuttered. However, the blonde didn't have a chance to respond.

"There you are! We thought you were still inside!" The principal said as he sped his way over to the three teenagers. Pulling out what Miley assumed was an attendance sheet, he quickly scribbled down a few brief notes on the page. He then signalled for them to follow him back to the football field, where the rest of the school was in attendance. Taylor was still tightly gripping Miley's wrist as they walked; a grim look was placed on her usually smiling face.

"You're okay!" Demi rushed up to Miley as soon as she came into view, immediately throwing her arms around her. "I was so worried! I can't believe I just left you in there! I panicked and something could have happened..."

"Dems, it's okay. Nobody got hurt. And I definitely don't blame you for panicking." Miley reassured the brunette, earning a thankful smile in response.

"Thanks, Miles. I just couldn't believe that- Taylor, are you okay?" Demi cut herself off, looking at Taylor curiously. Miley looked over at the blonde too, her confusion turning into disgust as Taylor threw her breakfast up all over the grass.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"I'm so cold. Why am I so cold?" Taylor wondered, her teeth chattering as she clutched the wool blanket closer to her body. Miley's face portrayed incredible worry as she placed her arm around Taylor's shoulders in an act of comfort.

"You're okay, Taylor." Demi told her softly. Once the ambulances had shown up, Miley had taken Taylor straight to a paramedic. He had opened the back of one of the ambulances and sat her down on the edge. After he had handed Taylor a large blanket, he made sure that she wasn't going into shock before he left her in the hands of Demi and Miley.

"How are you feeling now?" Miley asked the blonde delicately. She felt Taylor's forehead to see if she had a fever, while Demi urged a cup of cool water into her hand. Taylor groaned, and immediately Miley knew what was wrong,

"You're dizzy?" She guessed. Taylor mumbled an agreement, before resting her head on Miley's shoulder. Nick was greatly impressed as he watched the exchange. The two girls could read each other so greatly that no words needed to be exchanged.

"Well Nick, you've just witnessed the most eventful school day of this century." Demi pointed out. Nick chuckled softly in agreement, but his mind dislodged the attempt at a new subject and quickly refocused on Miley and Taylor.

"Look." Demi exclaimed suddenly, nodding towards the evacuated school. Smoke was still billowing out through the roof, and the smell of burning plastic lingered in the air. The four teenagers watched as multiple men and women in uniform came speeding out of the school doors. They did not have any students accompanying them, which meant that everybody else had gotten out safely.

"Alright, so what do we have here?" A voice asked from behind Nick. He turned back around to see a female paramedic standing beside the girls, her eyes observing Taylor's shivering form.

"She, er, Taylor was one of the last people to leave the school after it caught fire, so we have no idea if she's in shock… or if she's seriously injured. We don't know, we were just told to stay here and we weren't really sure what to do…" Demi babbled, twiddling her thumbs nervously as she spoke.

"Okay. Would you like to tell me your name?" The woman asked politely, signalling at Taylor's hunched figure. The blonde nodded and proceeded to speak,

"My name's Taylor Smith." Her voice was hoarse, like she had been screaming at the top of her lungs for hours on end. The tall woman in uniform smiled slightly, bending down to face Taylor square in the eyes.

"Does your head hurt, sweetie?" The blonde nodded helplessly.

"She threw up earlier too." Miley spoke up, and the paramedic nodded thoughtfully. She took a step closer to Taylor and studied her pale face carefully.

"Alright, well your pupils aren't dilated, which is a good sign." She placed two fingers on a slight angle, pressing them on the skin just below Taylor's jaw line. "And your pulse is beating steadily at a normal pace." She pulled back and pursed her lips, studying Taylor once more.

"You don't have any severe damage. At the most, you just inhaled a large amount of smoke. The side effects are consistent and it fits with your friends' story." The woman signalled to Demi and Miley, who were hanging on to her every word. "I advise you to take long, deep breaths and just relax. The only way to get over smoke inhalation is to get oxygen back into your lungs. You should be fine."

Miley breathed out a relieved sigh as soon as the woman had excused herself to treat another patient.

"Oh, thank God." Demi moaned as Miley threw her arms around Taylor's figure. The paramedic's calm words had taken a load off of everyone's shoulders, and now all they could do was watch Taylor inhale and exhale deeply.

"Attention!" A voice boomed over the chattering students. Nick glanced over to see the principal standing beside a small crowd of teachers and police officers; a blow horn nestled in his hand. He brought the instrument back to his mouth and spoke again,

"Due to excessive damage of the theatre, the hallway surrounding it and the hazard of the ceiling above it, we are under advisory that we should not let students re-enter the school. If you have any possessions that you need immediately, please tell an officer and he will gladly get it for you. However, we cannot allow access for students, which is why we've called the school board and they have thankfully sent out some buses. You are being asked to take one home, if you are not in close distance of the school. We will send a phone call out to all parents to explain this dilemma to them. If you have any questions, please ask myself or any of the persons to my left. Thank you."

"Wicked!" Miley smiled, high-fiving both Demi and Taylor.

"Let's get the heck out of here." Demi laughed, standing up and stretching her hands far above her head. Miley quickly followed suit, while Taylor slowly rose from the ledge. She pulled the blanket off from around her shoulders, scrunching it into a ball and leaving it where she had been sitting. As the four of them walked toward the bus loop, Nick realized that Taylor looked much better than she had when they'd gotten out of the burning school. For that, he was thankful.

"Well, this is my stop." Demi sighed, coming to a halt beside a bright yellow school bus. Miley and Taylor both paused to give her a tight hug before they continued along the road. Nick just smiled at the girl and nodded his head awkwardly, which she giggled at before climbing onto her bus.

"Nick, I'm just going to walk Taylor to her house and then I'm heading home. You can go ahead if you want. You remember the way, right?" Miley said suddenly, veering off in the direction opposite of Cindy's place. Nick thought about the previous events that had just occurred, and quickly shook his head.

"No, I'll come with you. Just in case, you know." He responded. After what had just happened, it seemed silly to let the two girls walk around the city by themselves. What if something happened to them? Or if Taylor was actually needed real medical attention, and nobody was there to help Miley get her to the hospital?

"Alright." Miley laughed, clearly not expecting him to accompany them. She was thoroughly surprised by his willingness to keep both her and Taylor out of harm's way, although it did bring a smile to her face.

Clearly, she had underestimated Nick Grey.

* * *

**WOO ! Yay Nick for saving the day :)**

**Anywhoooo, I've been MIA for sooo long! My best friend just came out of the hospital, so I've been staying with her to make sure she's recovering properly. Writing wasn't on my mind much, but she's fine now so I tried to upload this asap.**

**ps. Taylor Swift concert in 193 days, YES! (;**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

"Jerk!" The front door slammed _again._ For the third time that hour, Nick looked up at the front entryway. His annoyed expression hardened when Miley came bustling into the living room where he was occupying the only couch, throwing herself into the armchair across from him.

"I hate boys."

"Thanks for sharing."

"You're not helping."

"Wasn't trying to."

Miley groaned, burying her face in her palms. Nick looked back down at the music sheets scattered in front of him, his fingers skimming the neck of his most prized possession; his guitar. Ignoring Miley's attempt at a conversation, Nick tried to focus on the piece of music he was trying to write.

"..that show, but I guess the outfit is enough. Don't you think?" Miley was saying as he tried to block her voice out, a mocking smile on her face.

"Sure." Nick replied hastily, readjusting his fingers on his favourite guitar.

"You do realize you just told me that you watch Barney re-runs and dance around in your underwear in your free time, right?"

"Miley, I'm trying to write a song." Nick ignored her teasing as she fell into a fit of giggles. He tried strumming a few different chords to follow along with the lyrics he had previously written, but nothing seemed to fit properly. And Miley was watching him, acting as a great distraction. With a restless sigh, Nick finally gave in, pulling his guitar off his lap and leaning back into the soft material of the couch as he looked up at the girl.

"What's up?"

"Why would you think something's up?" Miley asked innocently. Nick probably would have believed there was nothing going on if she hadn't bit her lip subconsciously. The small movement was a dead giveaway that something was bothering her.

"Well, what happened outside?" Nick noticed Miley's eyes wander away from his gaze.

"Not much. Just another disagreement with Mitchell. What else is new?" Her voice was nonchalant but Nick could see there was more to the situation than she was letting on. Like the flip of a switch, his curiosity turned from polite to intense interest.

"Do you guys fight a lot?"

"No. Yes. I don't know, maybe. I presume it's not more than any other couple." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "He just gets me so annoyed sometimes."

"I see. Well, what are you arguing about today?" Nick wondered, leaning forward in his seat as interest got the better of him. He almost chuckled as he realized that he sounded like a cheesy therapist.

"The whole deal from yesterday. I told him how disappointed I was in him when he ditched the three of us in the theatre without a second thought. I mean, if you wouldn't of come back for Taylor and I, we probably would have gotten seriously hurt." She paused, waiting for Nick's reaction. He just gave her a small shrug and signalled for her to continue. "So he got unnecessarily mad and told me I was being too difficult. So I told _him _to screw off and then we got into a huge argument."

"And you obviously had this argument more than once."

"What?"

"You slammed the door in his face like three times. Obviously you didn't finish that conversation the first time around." Nick pointed out.

"So you were eavesdropping?" Miley demanded, her eyes widening. Her hands folded defensively over her chest and Nick immediately realized she was actually getting angry with him.

"No I was not eavesdropping." He assured her quickly. "I was _trying _to write a new song so that we have something to give the fans when we make our grand reappearance."

"Oh, well excuse me for bothering you." She spat, rising from her chair.

"Miley," Nick sighed, "Come on. I know you're in a mood but –"

"You did not just say that." She hissed, raising her thin eyebrows. "I just had an argument with my boyfriend because of _you_ and here you go insulting me?"

"That was not an insult." Nick retorted, completely annoyed. This girl knew exactly how to push his buttons. He had promised himself that he would not argue with this girl anymore since it wouldn't help right their relationship, but she was making it devastatingly hard.

"I don't know why I even bother trying to get along with you. All you do is argue with me."

"No, I don't."

"Way to prove my point, Nick." Her hands flew into the air as her frustration towards him increased. Nick rubbed his throbbing temples and sighed,

"No, I'm serious. I'm trying to get along with you, but every time I open my mouth, suddenly I've said something to make you upset."

"Then maybe you should just keep your mouth shut." Miley snapped.

"Well I was _trying _to be a good person and listen to your problems but obviously my attempt was unappreciated."

"You got that right. It's so obvious that you don't want to listen to me anyways. You've got better things to do, right superstar? Why listen to a pathetic girl when you've got a world to brainwash with your stupid pop music?"

Her words stung. And while Nick struggled to control his temper, a part of his mind wondered _why_. Why would he try to fix things when she obviously didn't want him as part of her life anymore? Why would he even try to get along with someone so stubborn? Was there a point? The girl in question was standing with her hands on her hips and was glaring nastily at him. She unknowingly made up his mind for him and he unleashed his anger on her,

"You're one hundred percent right. Your stupid boyfriend issues have nothing to do with me. Go whine to Taylor or your other girl friends and leave me alone. I have bigger problems to deal with than you and when you'll kiss and make up with what's-his-face. "

Miley's face was beyond shocked when Nick's voice came out much louder than he had intended. Upon hearing his words, her anger resurfaced and her face flushed with emotion.

"Ugh, you're such a jerk. I hate you so much." Nick flinched, his anger quickly melting into denial. Miley was just angry at him. She was probably just saying that to make him angrier. Sure, he wasn't exactly her favourite person in the world but she didn't _hate_ him.

"You don't mean that." Nick pleaded softly.

"Of course I mean it!" Miley screeched. With much effort, she closed her eyes and collapsed her hands down to her sides. When her eyes opened, she spoke much quieter than she had before. "Look Nick, I'm done with trying to talk to you. Have fun writing."

She turned on her heel and padded from the small room, leaving nothing for Nick to say. Instead, Nick let out a deep breath and looked over at his abandoned guitar. He pulled the instrument back onto his lap but he had no chance of concentrating. Why did getting along with Miley have to be so difficult?

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Is it safe to come out now?" Braison asked jokingly, emerging from his bedroom as Miley walked up the stairs. She laughed, walking over to her younger brother and pulling him into a hug.

"It's definitely safe to come out now. Sorry about all the yelling." And she was. She hated putting her brother and guardian in an awkward position while her and Nick fought, but she couldn't help it. He figured he could just wander back into her life like they were best friends again and everything was okay. But there was no way Miley was letting that happen.

"Hey, want to go outside and play some basketball? I bet I could cream you one-on-one." Braison smiled, knowing very well his sister never turned down a challenge. With all the drama going on with Mitchell and Nick, Miley decided she could use some fresh air. She quickly accepted his offer, and together they walked down the stairs and out the front door. Braison hastily opened the garage and pulled out an orange ball, bouncing it on the pavement as he walked up to his sister.

"First to ten points wins?" She suggested. He agreed and the game started.

"Now I remember why you never play sports." Braison laughed, kneeling beside his sister as she playfully smacked his arm. She was smiling sheepishly as she sat on the cool grass, gently rolling the bottom of her jeans up to expose her knee.

"I'm a tad bit clumsy." Miley agreed, assessing the damage she had caused when she tripped. Her knee was scraped up and a little bloody, but she didn't see anything too bad.

"Do you need some ice?" Her brother asked, eyeing her injury nervously. Miley kept her sheepish smile in plain sight, but shook her head.

"No thanks, I'm good. But I think I lost the game." She continued, pulling the pant leg of her jeans back down. Braison laughed, falling onto his back and sinking into the grass. His head tilted upwards while his arms spread wide around him and with a final sigh, he completely relaxed. Miley stayed in her previous sitting position, noticing Braison suddenly turn his head to look at her.

"Can I ask you a question?" Miley opened her mouth to joke about how he hadn't left her much of a choice, but the seriousness on Braison's face made the joke fade from her mind. She nodded slowly, instead replying,

"Go ahead."

"Do you ever think about what it would be like if dad was still here? Or even mom?" Braison wondered, staring back up at the plain white clouds rolling across the sky.

"Yeah. I wonder how my life would be different all the time." Miley answered tensely. The subject of their deceased parents hardly came up, and was a soft spot for the both of them.

"Sometimes I wake up in the morning and smell waffles cooking. I can hear dad singing old classics in the kitchen and that old dog we used to have running up the stairs. And then I open my eyes start to get up and it all goes away." The boy paused, collecting his thoughts. Miley was watching him closely, tears brimming in her eyes. She wasn't aware that her brother was feeling such emotions, and felt bad for not noticing it.

"I miss daddy, too." She whispered, glancing up to the blue sky that was occupying Braison's attention. Clouds twisted and floated carelessly, leaving no reminder of their presence to be seen. It seemed unfair that life could be comparable to the irrelevant fluff in the sky. People come and go all the time, but only a selective few remember there had been any trace of them to begin with.

"I just miss how things used to be." Braison admitted finally, turning to lock eyes with his sister. She sniffled, holding back another wave tears as she shuffled over to her younger brother and put her arms around him.

"Me too Brais." Miley shot him a sad smile, pulling out of their embrace. It seemed incredible to her that they had been having a casual conversation moments before, and suddenly they were tearing up on their front lawn.

"Miley!" Nick's voice called from the front door just as Braison stood up to retrieve his abandoned basketball. With a sigh of annoyance, Miley tilted her head back and leaned on her arms, which were extended behind her.

"What?"

"Phone's for you." Nick twisted his wrist around to show the house phone in his palm. Miley nodded, standing up from her spot on the grass and making her way over to him. Without even acknowledging his presence, she yanked the phone from Nick's hand and put it up to her ear. Yes, she was being immature and silly, but she felt that he definitely deserved it.

"Hello?"

"Miley!"

"Hey, Tay."

"I only have a few minutes to chat but I had to call you."

"Okay," Miley laughed, reclaiming her spot on the grass, "What's up?"

"Alright, so I was talking to David who was talking to Angela who was talking to Matt who was talking to Timothy who was talking to–"

"Why don't you just do us both a favour and say you heard a rumour?"

"Right." Taylor paused, and Miley knew there was a good chance that she was blushing. "Anyways, I _heard a rumour _that Lucas is suspended from school for the rest of the week."

"Okay, and?" Miley asked with a laugh.

"And David was walking past his house the other day, and he says there were police officers there! What if he got arrested?"

"Why would he get arrested? It was a magic trick that just happened to set the entire theatre on fire. Nobody got hurt. Not even the magician himself."

"And that is a miracle. I guess it pays off to have fast reflexes and not freeze up like I did. I probably would have been fine if I'd just followed him off stage like I was planning to. But noooo." Taylor sighed, dragging out the word as long as she could.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I'd probably of done the same thing." Miley comforted her best friend, before pausing to flip back to the old subject, "If somebody had gotten hurt though, Lucas would probably of gotten in loads more trouble than he's in now."

"Yeah, you're probably right. It'd be kind of hot though. You know, he'd be like a rebel. Which makes him sort of a bad boy. And I like bad boys."

"Taylor!" Miley laughed, clutching her stomach as she lay back in the cool grass.

"What? It's totally true! And on the subject of boys, I heard some drama went on between you and Mitch?"

"Yeah," Miley sighed, rolling onto her stomach. She placed the phone between her cheek and shoulder, and used her hands to yank out single blades of grass while she spoke, "We've been fighting a lot."

"Aw, girl, I'm sure everything will work out. He's probably just uptight because there are a couple of boys living with you. He might think you're doing things with more than a g-rating."

"Taylor! I cannot believe you just said that." Miley gasped through uncontrollable giggles. She could hear Taylor laughing loudly through the receiver, which in turn made Miley blush furiously.

"On that note, I have to go. My mom needs the phone."

"Bye, Tay." Miley was still giggling as she hung up the phone. Even though she's been through a terrible fight with both Mitchell and Nick and had a heartbreaking conversation with her younger brother, Taylor was still able to make Miley laugh. She was one in a million.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Pass the potatoes, please." Cindy smiled from across the table as Joe picked up the container she requested.

"So did you guys buy a lot today?" Braison asked from the other end of the table.

"Joe almost bought the entire store." Kevin rolled his eyes, nudging his younger brother playfully. Joe laughed, setting his fork full of steak back on his plate.

"Hey, I've got the money. Why not spend it?" He smiled proudly, before collecting his steak once more and shoving it in his mouth.

"I bought a few things, too. And I bought Nick some new shoes." Kevin laughs, recalling the incident from the day before. Nick had to walk around with that wet shoe for almost two days straight, since he hadn't brought another pair to change into.

"And you, Miley? It must have been nice to have the day off school today. They'll have the school up and running again by tomorrow though, right?" Cindy wondered, her head resting in her freckled palm as she glanced in Miley's direction.

"Yeah. My day wasn't too bad. Braison totally kicked my butt at basketball though." She laughed, and her contagious laughter caused almost everyone around the table to smile.

"I only won because you tripped and gave up." Her younger brother pointed out, earning a laugh and an agreement from Miley. The table suddenly seemed to give off a weird buzzing sound, confusing the brothers as Cindy gave Miley a stern look. Miley pouted her lip slightly, lifting her hand to reveal a black cell phone under her hand.

"No texting at the table."

"It's just Demi. Can I respond real quick? I'll turn my phone off after, I promise." Miley pleaded. Cindy sighed and waved her hand as a signal to continue. As Miley opened the device, Cindy's voice caught Nick's attention.

"I don't have a lot of time on my hands tonight, so I was wondering if I could ask you boys a favour. I need some groceries, and I would really appreciate it if maybe Miley could drive you boys to the store?" Cindy asked. All three boys automatically registered that it was a statement fused into an innocent question.

"I'd love to, but I really can't. I'm completely wiped from all the walking we did today." Kevin responded sincerely. Cindy gave him an understanding smile and nodded.

"Why couldn't you of gotten the groceries while we were out?" Joe asked rudely. Miley was still typing away on her phone, but Joe's comment caused her to roll her eyes.

"Because if I remember correctly, _somebody_ was in a rush to get home and basically dragged the rest of us out of the store." Cindy raised her eyebrows at Joe pointedly, and he shrugged.

"It was going to rain outside. My hair gets all frizzy in the rain and I wasn't allowed to bring all of my hair products here. It's not my fault I have perfect hair." He smiled again, sweeping his hair to the side dramatically. Everyone snickered, while Kevin leaned over to ruffle his little brother's hair. Joe gasped as his hands flew to his brown locks, an angry expression rapidly appearing on his face.

"So I guess you going is out of the question." Cindy sighed, watching Joe re-flatten his hair frantically. "So that leaves you, Nick."

"Well…" Nick racked his brain for a good excuse but couldn't come up with one on the spot.

"Thank you very much." Cindy spoke as if Nick had volunteered immediately. "Miley will drive you to the grocery store around seven."

"Why can't I drive myself?" Nick demanded immediately. It was already awkward enough between the two of them, he didn't need a whole car ride alone with her. It would probably just make things considerably worse.

"Well Nick, can you remember where the grocery store is?" Cindy asked politely. Nick thought hard, trying desperately to place the building somewhere in town. But his attempt failed, and thoughts of driving around lost for hours didn't appeal to him whatsoever. His shoulders slumped as he shook his head, defeated. "Then Miley goes with you."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Please, please, please? I swear I'll never ask you for anything ever again."

"Miley… It's a school night." Cindy objected, folding a white blouse and putting it off to the side.

"But that never stopped us before! I swear we'll be home by twelve. Eleven thirty, if you want. Just please, _please_ let me go!"

"Okay," Cindy finally sighed, turning away from the folding table and facing Miley, "But here's the deal. You're back for eleven thirty and not a second later. Tomorrow there will be no complaining if you're tired, and you can't do anymore shows for at least a week."

"Thank you so much, Cindy! I'll bring the car back in mint condition, I promise." Miley smiled victoriously, flipping her hair as she went to leave the room. In spite of everything that had happened earlier, _one _good thing had happened. Suddenly Cindy placed an arm on her shoulder, causing Miley to turn back in confusion.

"Wait, you were suppost to drive Nick to the grocery store, remember?"

"But this is like a one-time thing! We'll never have this chance again. Can't he just walk or something?" Miley pleaded. Nick was now intentionally _and _unintentionally ruining her day.

"I have him picking up tons of items, Miley. You expect him to just carry everything home?" Cindy wondered, picking up a sweatshirt to fold.

"I don't know." Miley sighed impatiently. Demi, Mitchell and Taylor were all waiting for Miley to show up, making Nick's troubles seem more and more unimportant to her. Yes, she was being selfish. But at that moment, she simply didn't care. The band _always_ came first.

"How about you help him get the groceries, pile it in the car and then head out to the show?" Cindy suggested, pulling another shirt out of the dryer.

"But it starts in half an hour! We're suppost to be on stage as the third act, Cin." Miley tried, watching Cindy closely for her reaction. But her face stayed blank as she spoke,

"Then you'll have plenty of time. Go get Nick and you can head out right now."

"Okay, fine." Miley huffed, storming out of the room. She charged into the living room where Nick was trying on his new shoes. "You, let's go. Now."

"Someone's in a rush." Nick chuckled, standing up with his blindingly white shoes tied to his feet. He leaned over and grabbed Cindy's grocery list from the coffee table, shoving it into his back pocket.

"Yeah, okay sure. Now let's get going sometime today." Miley smiled falsely, whipping around and sauntering out the door. She practically jogged to the car, twirling the keys around her index finger.

"I didn't know going to the grocery store was so important to you." Nick joked sourly as he followed her outside, causing Miley to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Yeah, you caught me. It's the highlight of my week." She said sarcastically. Nick chuckled, dropping into the passenger seat as Miley started up the engine.

"So seriously, why are you so uptight?" Nick asked. Miley scoffed as she turned around in her seat, backing out of the driveway. It would have been so much easier for her if a certain group of friends had thought to swing by Miley's place before they left. But no, Taylor only got the call about the show needing another performance _after_ she had gotten out of city lines. Demi had hitched a ride up from her mom, who could only squish one person into her tiny rental car. And Mitchell hadn't even thought about calling her because of their argument. Miley's face flushed with anger just thinking about it.

"I'm uptight because there's been a change of plans." Miley told him, drifting through traffic and pulling into another lane, "You are coming to see the band perform. Don't argue, because you're going whether you like it or not. We're getting the groceries and then probably speeding all the way to the show."

"Right. And why couldn't you just go in that big truck you guys always use?"

"Because Demi's mom put it in the shop to get fixed. The brakes were out or something like that." Miley sighed, stopping at a red light.

"Okay, well what do I do while you guys are onstage?" Nick wondered.

"Either stand in the audience or come backstage. Doesn't matter." Miley told him, tapping on the steering wheel impatiently. She glanced at him quickly, only to see his face masked with confusion. "This show is a huge deal for us. All the bands that want to become famous and all that, go to this show. It's the first time we've ever been invited, and if I don't get there, it'll be the last."

"I see." Nick mumbled. The light flashed green, and Miley sped off. She didn't know why she bothered trying to explain herself to him. He never cared about anyone except himself. "What's so great about the show anyways?"

"Oh," Miley laughed, "You haven't been _anywhere_ until you've been there."

She hastily pulled into a parking spot near the front of the store, and they both hopped out of the car. As they approached the front door, a man appeared from inside the store and tugged on the open sign. They watched as he put it back up, the sign now reading 'Sorry, we're closed.'

"Wait, what?" Miley shook her head, glancing at the time on her cell phone. It was only 7:12, which meant there was no way the store was closed. But as she glanced up at the store hours hung in the window, she realized they had changed their hours. Luck was finally on her side.

"Perfect." Miley smiled as they returned to the car. "Now let's get out of here."

* * *

**So, it's official. I am the worst updater in the history of terrible updaters. Sorry x45874820!**

**But I've been super busy being in and out of the hospital and all that terrible stuff. My bestie had to be readmitted because the doctors gave her the wrong diagnosis & medication. She's had her second surgery now, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's okay :\**

**On a brighter note, my grandma comes down to visit this weekend and she's finally bringing my laptop, which means I'll be able to update tooons more :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

If Nick had one word to describe the scene, he would say it was _crazy_.

Or maybe _insane_ was the appropriate word.

There were probably _hundreds_ of people dancing in the abandoned field. Precisely in the middle of the unbelievable amount of people, a giant stage had been set up, equipped with gigantic speakers and flashing lights. The music blaring from the band onstage was deafening and pounded through Nick's head like he had taken a hammer to his temple. There was no chance of seeing anything clearly with the thick smoke lingering around people's heads, while the smell of the sweaty crowd had Nick disgusted. He pushed through the wild crowd anyways, desperately searching for Miley or someone else he knew from her social circle.

Nick had lost track of Miley not even three seconds after they had arrived. Her cellular had been pressed to her ear and she was chattering away as she hurried through the immense amount of people, not waiting for Nick at all. Now he was left aimlessly wandering around the shaking grounds, dodging the occasional under-aged drinkers and listening to the band onstage scream into the microphone.

"Hey, you made it!" A female voice yelled from Nick's right. Twirling around on his heel, Nick came face-to-face with a blonde girl he didn't know. She was smiling widely at his confused figure, waving her hand excitedly.

"Told you I'd come." A male's voice boomed from over Nick's head, and instantly he realized he was intruding someone else's conversation. Sighing disappointedly, he moved around the unknown female and spotted a familiar brunette right in front of him.

"Miley!" Nick yelled happily as she came bustling into view, a worried look on her face. She relaxed when she spotted Nick, quickly shoving a group of dancing teenagers to the side to get over to him.

"I think I'm going in circles!" Miley yelled over the thumping music. Nick shrugged in response, watching her eyes sweep the crowd around them. "Have you seen Taylor or Demi?"

"Actually, you're the first person I've seen all night." Nick hollered, and Miley turned her attention to him once again.

"You didn't see anyone at all? I can't find Demi, Taylor or Mitchell, and I don't have any service on my cell anymore." Miley huffed loudly, stumbling as a preoccupied guy shoved right into her. She shoved him back and he didn't seem to take any notice, instead continuing to thrash around and pump his fist in the air wildly. This guy had no idea how to dance whatsoever.

"Well come on, they have to be around here somewhere." Nick spoke normally as the song finally came to a close and the lead singer gave a brief goodbye. He nodded his head towards the open field in view beyond the great mass of people. "Let's get into that clearing and see if we can spot anyone we know." As Nick and Miley pushed through the stumbling mess of people, the band onstage piled off into the audience proudly.

"...Lets give those guys one more round of applause." The announcer screamed into the lead singer's discarded microphone, clapping his hands over his head enthusiastically. Behind him there were many people, dressed from head-to-toe in black outfits, running around and setting up new equipment for the next performance. "Alright, next up we have a band that is performing here for their very first time. Let's give a warm welcome to the members of _Catastrophe_!"

"Aw, crap."

"…Found them." Nick frowned, as the members of Catastrophe – minus one – sauntered onto the stage. They all looked worried and anxious but were trying to cover it with false smiles. Demi sat down behind the massive drum set, spinning her drumsticks between her fingers while Mitchell helped set up a microphone for Taylor.

"Hey guys," The curly-haired blonde shouted into her microphone when they finally got it working, "How are you doing tonight?"

The audience went wild. Without another word, Demi lay down the beat to the first song. Mitchell responded by stroking his guitar in the same rhythm, and Taylor followed suit. What were they going to do without a lead singer?

Nick turned back around to ask Miley that exact question and was left staring at a group of complete strangers. She had disappeared completely, leaving him alone once again. Nick frowned, turning back in the direction of the stage.

He watched Mitchell nod slightly at Taylor, giving her the go-ahead to take Miley's place as lead singer. Nick knew the thoughts running through their minds at that moment; _the show must go on._

And after a brief pause, Taylor finally took a deep breath and began to sing.

_I have to wonder if this wave's too big to ride;_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Miley sprinted through the crowd, elbowing anyone and everyone from her path. She heard Taylor's voice ring out over the instruments playing behind her and cringed internally. Taylor was an amazing singer and that was a fact, but the song was definitely not in her key.

Darting off to the right, Miley reached the tent that acted as the backstage area and flew inside. Inside were a bundle of people in black outfits, each of them shooting a glance in Miley's direction as she hurried inside. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out two tiny earplugs with shaking fingers, instantly shoving one in each ear.

"I need a mic!" The brunette hissed, trying to keep her voice low. She identified herself as Miley Stewart, lead singer of the band performing onstage. Wordlessly, the boy who had acted as announcer for the night came forward to push a microphone into Miley's trembling hand. He pointed at the microphone and mouthed,

'_It's on. Don't talk 'till show time.'_ She silently nodded, and scurried to the open flap of the tent, which faced the stage. She couldn't get the attention of any of her friends onstage, so Miley made a quick decision to just surprise them. As the rhythm hitched in the music and the chords on Taylor's guitar switched, Miley recognised the chorus of the song coming up.

Taking a deep breath and clutching the microphone tightly in her palm, the brunette jumped onstage. Taylor glanced back when the crowd responded eagerly to Miley's sudden appearance, and relief washed over her features. With an apologetic smile, Miley raised the microphone to her lips and let her voice carry over the crowd as she danced her way to center stage.

_Out of the fire and into the fire again,_

_You make me want to forget and_

_Start all over!_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

It was different for him – being in the crowd rather than performing onstage. He felt out of place as he stood in the clearing that he had finally managed to reach, his attention completely focused on the stage in front of him.

If Nick closed his eyes and imagined himself standing anywhere on the planet, he would have placed himself in a huge stadium filled with thousands of other screaming fans. _Catastrophe _could have been professionals in the business for years by the way they seemed to please everyone in the audience. Nick wasn't saying that their performance was completely perfect, because of course it wasn't. Miley's voice got pitchy every once in awhile and occasionally Taylor would strum the wrong cord, but overall it was something breathtaking and spectacular.

The whole crowd seemed to squeeze closer to the stage after their first song played. They knew what to expect from the band and were not disappointed when the next song began to play. All members of the audience were pumping their fists in the air and dancing around wildly, which was identical to Miley's behaviour onstage. The kind of energy she was radiating made Nick want to jump up on stage with her, just so he could feel the same high she was. She absorbed the crowd's energy without meaning to, and suddenly everybody was one hundred percent into the music and happy to swing their hips to the beat.

And Nick will admit he was too. He wasn't exactly dancing, but his head was nodding to the beat and his foot was tapping without his knowledge.

"Wow, you guys are amazing!" Miley laughed as she walked towards Taylor onstage, regaining her breath before they started their final song of the night.

"Damn, y'all are sexy too!" Taylor breathed into her microphone, her breathing ragged and her hair a wild mess from her endless moments of hair flipping.

And boy, did she ever get a response out of that. Nick actually laughed as the crowd cheered and screamed, obviously flattered by Taylor's comment. Him and his brothers had used a lot of words to describe various crowds throughout the years, but that phrase had never crossed his lips.

"Alright, so this last song is called 'Young'." Miley told the crowd, and this time Mitchell initiated the song. Miley sung the first verse, before plunging into the chorus with so much confidence that Nick could almost see it surrounding her.

_We're never going to be as young as we are tonight,_

_So let the world know we're alive!_

**- - - - - - - - -**

"Thank you guys, it's been an honour to perform here for you tonight!" Miley yelled, bowing once more with the band as they departed from the stage. Her chest was heaving, and she thought her chest might explode at any second.

The band made their way back through the tent, dropping off their equipment and pulling the earplugs out of their ears. The announcer flounced past them to claim a spot on center stage while asking the audience to give a final applaud for _Catastrophe_, before he introduced the next act. Miley followed Demi and Taylor out of the large tent impatiently, until they landed outside in the cool night air.

"Oh my God!" Taylor squealed as soon as they found themselves back in the audience, "We did it!"

"I'm still shaking." Demi admitted, holding her trembling hands out to prove her point. Then she clasped her hands together, and let out a squeal almost identical to Taylor's, "That was so crazy! I was so worried we wouldn't get to perform, but then we did and it was so amazing. And I really need to stop rambling so I can breathe but I just can't. I'm too hyper. Feel free to slap me."

"Demi," Miley laughed, her hands clutching Demi's shoulders, "You're going to be okay. Deep breaths, Dem, in and out."

"Wait, before we get to celebrating–" Mitchell started, only to get cut off by ear splitting music and an overwhelming crowd. A tad bit too late, the group had realized they were standing right beside one of the massive speakers attached to the stage. They all covered their ears and veered towards an area free of the booming noise.

"Ouch," Demi mumbled when they got to a quieter spot, and made a show of massaging her earlobes.

"Well, I gotta jet. Mom wants me home early so that we can 'bond' some more." Taylor sighed, glancing at the time on her cell phone. Miley laughed freely at the blonde, earning a playful smack on the shoulder.

"Alright, then I guess I'm heading out too." Demi smiled softly, giving Miley a quick hug. "You did amazing out there, by the way. This might have been our best performance yet."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Miley grinned, "Is Tay driving you home?"

"Yeah, my mom refused to stay here and wait for the show to finish. She had all her goofy curlers in her hair and didn't want anyone to see her. There was no time for her to get ready since _someone_ didn't give us any warning of the show beforehand."

"Well, excuse me for landing us a gig with all the hottest bands around." Mitchell rolled his eyes, his mood still sour from his argument with Miley hours before. Demi rolled her eyes, flaunting the 'whatever' look at Mitchell for being snappy with her.

"See you tomorrow, Miles." Taylor waved, bouncing off through the massive crowd of people with Demi on her heels. Miley, still pumping with energy from the show, turned back to an uncomfortable-looking Mitchell.

"Do you know the time?"

"Yeah, it's ten forty." Mitchell informed his girlfriend, before continuing in a softer voice, "About earlier today–"

"Crap! I have to go!" Miley spoke over him, her teeth pressing into her lip nervously. She leaned over to give him a hasty kiss on the cheek, ignoring the fact that they were suppost to be fighting and instead kept the energetic mood bubbling around her. "I'll see you tomorrow, and we can talk." She promised him as she twirled around, taking off in the same direction that Taylor and Demi had previously gone in.

"Miley!" She heard a voice holler over the slowly fading music as the grass disappeared someplace behind her and winding roads came into view. She quickly turned towards the voice, only to spot Nick leaning against Cindy's Civic. The sight made Miley ache for a camera, for the contrast between the rock star and old car was priceless. With a loud laugh, the brunette skipped over to the boy happily, stopping just as she reached the car. Still laced with an incredible high from the performance, the girl threw her arms around the boy in a loose imitation of a hug.

"How'd you like it?" Miley wondered, her eyes sparkling as she smiled up at Nick. His surprise washed off his face with obvious effort, and he smiled back at the girl.

"Not going to lie, that was an unbelievably good performance." Nick admitted, making Miley smile wider. She separated herself from him, skipping over to the passenger side of the car. Jumping onto the soft seat, Miley watched Nick pull a ring out of keys from his pocket, the same ones she had given him to hold during the show.

"You should come to our next gig too."

"We'll see." Nick replied openly, his attention shifting from their conversation to the road.

**

The drive back to Cindy's was long but there was absolutely no traffic on the streets. Miley, who had calmed down quite a bit since she jumped in the car, leaned back in her seat and let out a long sigh. Between the stress from the scenario at her school the day before and the energy she had drained onstage, Miley found herself worn out and having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"Go ahead and sleep," Nick encouraged her, "I'll wake you up when we get there."

The girl nodded, closing her heavy eyelids and leaning her head against the cool window. Dancing on the line between consciousness and not, she found herself speaking once more,

"Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we gonna do about the groceries?" She swore she heard his soft laugher, but was asleep before he could form a response. What a night.

* * *

**HAPPY NEW YEAR (:**

**I hope you all had an awesome new years! Mine was pretty eventful, haha. A bunch of friends & I went camping in the snow storm. Sooooo not smart.**

**On.. boxing day? Sometime around there anyways, I went to a performance identical to this one. It was beyond crazy, the experience. I guess if Miley had shown up, that would of made it more amazing.. haha.**

**& Just to start the year off right, let's pretend I haven't heard all the rumors surrounding Selena/Nick. From the photoshop picture to the concert-going(s).. yeah, I'm going to just pretend it never happened. DOO DAA DOO, LIFE'S GOOD .. (;**

**Anywhoo, thanks to every one of you who reviewed. I really appreciate it!**

**ps. the songs in this chapter are Start All Over by Miley C. & Young is by The Summer Set, which is an awesome song, just btw. Of course, Young is sung in a guy's perspective, so if you do listen to it, make sure to change up the lyrics a tad bit, haha.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

Miley leaned back against her boyfriend's hard chest, sighing in contentment. His arm was resting on the couch behind her, and his head pressed onto hers gently. The two teenagers were watching an old movie in Cindy's living room, enjoying their Friday night together.

"Why are we watching this _again_?" The brunette boy groaned suddenly, as the main character was introduced to the boy she would later fall in love with. The couple had seen the movie playing so many times that there was a very good chance they could recite the lines themselves.

"It's romantic," His girlfriend told him, motioning to the screen, "They're practically in love at first sight."

"You're such a sucker for the sappy stuff." He joked, earning a playful slap on the chest.

"It's cute. Fairytale endings are the best part of any movie."

"Whatever you say." Mitchell gave in, before leaning down with the intention of pressing his lips onto her forehead. But the girl tilted her head back and brushed her lips against his softly, earning a small smile to etch itself onto the boy's face.

"I love you." The brunette smiled up at her boyfriend, and he gently leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you, too." He responded, leaning down to place another chaste kiss on her lips.

"Ugh, seeing things in this room that I can't unsee." Joe made his grand entrance, ruining the moment between the two teenagers.

"Go away." Miley frowned, watching as Joe collapsed on an armchair across from her. He gasped at her, holding a hand over his heart.

"So rude." He scolded her, causing her to launch an eye roll in his direction.

"What do you want?" Miley demanded, watching Joe's expression curiously. He let out a fake sigh of exasperation and shrugged dramatically, responding,

"Well, I _was _going to ask you to play Guitar Hero with Kevin and I, but–"

"What are you talking about?" Miley quickly interrupted, a confused look settled over her features. The only gaming system in the house was Braison's old gameboy that his father had given him years before, but he rarely used it. When Miley and Braison had moved in, Cindy had informed them that she had a tight budget. Miley had chosen to take singing and guitar lessons, while Braison had chosen to take up expensive sports like ice hockey and soccer instead of getting the latest electronics systems, excreta.

"We're bored here, Miley." Joe said seriously, "Everything we have is back home. We wanted something to do instead of just sitting around, so earlier today Kevin and I went shopping. The Xbox 180, or whatever it's called, is being hooked up to the television in the basement as we speak."

"You mean the Xbox 360?" Mitchell corrected him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's the one." Joe smiled, leaning back in the small armchair.

"Why didn't you just bring your own, instead of buying duplicates of what you already have?" Miley's boyfriend wondered.

"Oh, we're not taking it back with us. That'd be pointless," Joe let out a short laugh before continuing, "We were actually planning on leaving it here after we go home so you guys can use it."

"Joe," Miley gasped in complete surprise. It was a smallest of actions that reflected only a smidge of selflessness, but she appreciated his gift all the same.

"What? It's not a big deal." Joe shrugged, before getting to his feet in one swift motion. "Now, do you guys wanna play or not?"

"Heck yes!" Miley giggled, jumping up from her position next to Mitchell. She bounced over to the VCR and ejected the movie inside, before shutting the power off of the television. Crossing the carpeted floor, she reached Mitchell side as he entered the hallway and intertwined their fingers. The couple followed Joe down to the scarcely used basement, where Kevin was lying underneath the television stand. There were boxes and random games lying around him while he held a flashlight up and tried to plug in the gaming system. Miley's foot nudged the game box, while her eyes skimmed over the game title, _Guitar Hero III._

"I've never been down here before." Joe commented as he dropped down onto the floor beside his brother. Miley glanced around the basement space which was generally used for storage, realizing that she hadn't gone down there much either. The basement was dimly lit with a couple old beds, wooden tables and matching chairs pushed up against the walls to hide the rows of tools that hung from them, once belonging to Cindy's ex-husband. The dust-coated television had once been situated in Cindy's living room, but had been moved to the basement when a better television was given to Cindy, courtesy of the Stewart family.

"Alright, it's plugged in." Kevin called from his position on the floor, and the three teenagers looked up at the screen to see the initial game screen pop up. Miley clapped her hands excitedly as Joe handed her a brand new guitar, taking one for himself also.

"You're going down, Stewart." Joe said and immediately started the game.

"Ha! In your dreams, Grey." Miley retorted, her fingers poised on the guitar excitedly. The song began to play and suddenly their fingers were switching rapidly between the coloured buttons, both teenagers eager to win.

**

"Hey, that's not fair!" Kevin shouted while Miley threw her head back in laughter. Joe had discarded his guitar once he saw Kevin had more points than him and jumped onto his older brother's back. Kevin had miraculously continued to play until Joe covered Kevin's eyes with his palms, and then their charade had become comical.

"Okay, my turn!" Miley squealed, jumping up as the song came to a close. She picked Joe's guitar up off the ground and stood beside Kevin, who no longer had a brother clinging to his back. A new song played on the screen and once again Miley found herself trying to beat a rockstar at the activity he did best.

"No!" She screamed as her fingers pushed the wrong button. She started bouncing on her toes as the song got faster, trying her hardest to beat the boy standing beside her. She frowned as she realized there was no way she could win, but continued to play anyways. In the end Kevin won, earning a pout from Miley.

"Hey Miles, I better get going." Mitchell said suddenly from his place beside Joe, who he had been animatedly talking to for a good portion of the night. She nodded as Kevin and Joe started up another game, before she took her boyfriend's hand and followed him up the stairs.

"Thanks for having me over." Mitchell smiled, giving her a light peck on the lips as he reached the front door.

"Anytime." Miley smiled back, giving their intertwined fingers a squeeze before dropping his hand. He opened the front door and walked out, before he descended down the narrow street. Her boyfriend turned once to wave at her before he disappeared into the chilly night.

Miley closed the front door and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, only to hear the door open once more. Confused, the brunette walked back into the front hall to find her guardian, younger brother and former best friend coming through the front door.

"How was grocery shopping?" Miley smirked, leaning against the railing of the wooden staircase.

"Well, the store was open this time." Cindy said pointedly, holding up the plastic bags in her hands as further evidence. "What have you guys been up to?"

"Mitchell literally just left, and the boys are playing Guitar Hero in the basement."

"Wait, we have Guitar Hero?" Braison asked in excitement and Miley nodded in response. Her younger brother proceeded to run into the kitchen to deposit the groceries onto the counter, before racing down the basement stairs at a record speed.

Cindy disappeared into the kitchen while Nick struggled to undo his running shoes without dropping the grocery bags. Miley chuckled, pushing off the wooden railing and reaching over to grab the multiple bags from his hands. Nick looked up at her and smiled, before kneeling onto the floor to untie his sneakers. Miley re-entered the kitchen, placing the bags onto the counter beside the other piles of bagged food.

"No, Miles," Cindy shook her head as Miley pulled a bag of chips out of a grocery bag, "Go downstairs and play video games with the boys. I'll put these away."

"I don't mind helping." Miley smiled as she opened a cupboard door and placed the item inside. "Besides, I need a break from the boys; they are way too competitive. Even Mitchell was getting into it for awhile."

"So you guys worked everything out then?" Cindy guessed, raising her eyebrows as she washed some fruit under running water in the sink.

"I have a tendency to blow things way out of proportion." Miley admitted sheepishly. "I apologized for freaking out on him and he apologized for the things he said. So, now we're good again."

"And what about you and Nick?" Cindy pressed on, earning a giggle to escape Miley's lips. She forgot exactly how perceptive Cindy was.

"We're okay now, too. I apologized for starting such a silly argument and Nick told me he was sorry for losing his temper. I guess we were both pretty stupid."

"I'm not stupid!" Nick gasped in mock offense as he came up behind the ladies, making Miley jump slightly in surprise.

"Eavesdropper!" She shouted back at him, earning a laugh to escape the boy's lips in response. Reaching into the sink with her free hand, Miley dipped her fingertips into the cool water and flicked the water droplets at Nick playfully.

"Hey! If you didn't need my help, you could have just said so!" He exclaimed in surprise, jumping away from her. Miley laughed at his antics and soon Cindy joined in from her place at the sink, while Nick just shook his head and repressed a smile.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"No!" Joe cried, covering his face with his palms and dropping to his knees dramatically.

"It's just a game, Joe." Miley rolled her eyes, but hadn't bothered to wipe the smile off her face.

"A game that you rule at!" Braison laughed, standing up off the floor to give his older sister a high-five.

"That was all luck." Joe pouted, crossing his arms. Miley childishly stuck her tongue out at him in response, causing the other boys in the room to laugh. Joe yawned suddenly, stretching his arms over his head. "I'll beat you next time, I swear. But I'm gonna head off to bed. 'Night guys."

"And now there are four." Kevin declared as Joe slowly climbed the basement stairs.

"I think I've witnessed enough for one night. I'm out, too." Braison shook his head, heading up the stairs that Joe had just gone up.

"Not you too!" Miley pouted when Kevin handed his guitar to Nick.

"Sorry, but I'm wiped." Kevin smiled apologetically at the girl, before climbing the stairs after his brother and Miley's younger sibling. Nick frowned, listening to the annoying music chime from the television screen in front of him.

"Well, you're not going to go, right?" Miley asked him hopefully. Nick had been planning on following his brothers up the stairs, but he knew the brunette in front of him wouldn't ever let him. He shook his head in defeat.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She chanted happily, clapping her hands together in excitement.

"But we're not playing this game anymore." Nick objected, placing the plastic guitar on the floor next to him. Miley frowned, watching as Nick stood up and ejected the game disk from the game system. After shuffling through the game cases on the floor, he finally picked a game. Miley watched him replace the old disk in the x-box, handing her a plain white controller.

"What are we playing?" Miley demanded, taking the controller into her hands and waiting for the game screen to pop up. Nick just smiled.

**

"No! He's killing me! Die, die die!" Miley shouted, her thumbs pounding every coloured button on the controller. Nick laughed from his place beside her, shaking his head slightly.

"I suck at this game." Miley frowned as her character dropped to the ground, while the guy who had shot her ran off the screen.

"No you don't," Nick smiled, his attention focused on the screen in from of him, "You just need practice."

"I don't think it would help. I'm hopeless." Miley sighed as her character died again. She hadn't ever been interested in these silly games, which meant every action and control was new to her. The idea of sitting in front of a television screen for hours and practicing which button to push did not appeal to her whatsoever.

"Don't say that. Here, follow me." Nick made the man onscreen circle in front of Miley's restored character, eventually leading the way when he knew Miley was following behind. "Go shoot that guy right there."

"Okay, but I get to blame you if I die this time."

"Deal."

It was silent as the female pressed multiple buttons on her controller, causing the man onscreen to move closer and closer to the opposing team. At the last minute the opponent she was trying to sneak up on turned around and spotted her, immediately shooting at her.

"Shoot him back!"

"I can't! None of the buttons are working!"

"Press the blue one!"

"What blue one?!"

Nick reached over and repeatedly pressed on one of the coloured buttons on the girl's controller and the sounds of a gun firing immediately filled the basement. Miley watched triumphantly as her opponent dropped to the ground.

"See? It's not that hard." Nick smiled, taking his own controller back into his hands.

"You and I both know I would have lost if you hadn't helped me." Miley said, defeated. She gave up trying to play the challenging game and instead entertained herself by making her character twirl around in large circles.

"No, you would have been fine on your own. You just needed a bit of support is all." Nick replied easily, his eyes skipping from Miley to the screen once more. He had the game at his house in LA, so he knew exactly which buttons to push without thinking twice about it.

"Nah, you're wrong. I needed you there, just admit it." Miley argued, unwilling to take the credit for playing when she hadn't done anything. Nick shook his head in exasperation. All he had done was press a single button, so why couldn't she just accept what he was saying?

"You can handle anything you set your mind to."

"Except I couldn't handle it and I needed your help, Nick. Deny it all you want but we both know it's true."

"You were doing just fine on your own. If I hadn't been here, you still would of managed." Nick pressed his point, exasperated. He couldn't figure out why she had to be so stubborn in this case.

"It doesn't matter because I would rather of had you here anyways."

"There were other people here willing to help you. I was just one person, Miley."

"Yeah, except you were my best friend. I didn't trust anybody else like I trusted you."

"But you moved on and made new friends, like Taylor and Demi. If I'd been here, you probably wouldn't have."

"Wait," Miley paused the game suddenly and turned to face Nick fully, "When did we stop talking about the game and start talking about our lives?"

"I guess we were bound to talk about it sometime." Nick admitted, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Okay, well.." Miley trailed off, unsure of where to start. For a few seconds Nick watched her bite her lip nervously and play with a strand of her hair absentmindedly while the music from the video game drifted through the suddenly silent space.

"I know I haven't been treating you guys all that nicely." She finally started, waiting for Nick's reaction. She expected a sneer, a cold laugh, a glare, a comment like _'understatement of the year'._ But she received none of those. Nick simply nodded his head slowly, encouraging her to go on. "I wanted to apologize for that. It must be hard to have to move all the way back here without your parents and only a suitcase. But I just can't get over the fact that you left all those years ago without a goodbye. You didn't leave a phone number or an email address... I didn't know what to think. I was so worried about you guys. And then one day, I turn on the TV and I see a tour promo for the three of you? It hurt, a lot."

"I'm sorry. I really am," Nick says sincerely as a stream of tears slides down Miley's cheek. He felt the sudden need to comfort her; to tell her exactly what happened all those years ago. He opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off by the girl in front of him,

"Why didn't you at least warn me you were leaving?"

"My dad found Joe, Kevin and I just joking around one day." Nick immediately blurted. He hadn't meant to, but getting this off his chest made him feel a thousand times better. Miley was watching him with curious, wet eyes as he continued, "Kevin had written a poem for his English class and Joe found it, so him and I were singing it out loud just to bug Kevin. But my dad thought we were seriously thinking about a future career. Without our knowledge, he sent out a demo of some songs he had us sing to whoever would listen to them. I came home from school one day, answered the phone and heard a music executive on the line. They asked us to come to the studio so they could meet us personally, so we did. When they decided to sign us, they recommended we move to Hollywood, for obvious reasons. I didn't even get to come back here to say goodbye, I was permanently stuck there."

"But you didn't call or anything? You just cut off all ties with everyone here, just like that?" Miley wonders after she had digested the information given to her. She brought a hand up to wipe away the liquid sliding down her cheek as she spoke, but never once took her eyes off Nick.

"At first it wasn't my idea. Our new manager had the three of us booked solid for the first few days. I was getting _maybe _three hours of sleep. When I finally got a break, I asked him if I could come back home for a visit but he wouldn't let me. Eventually, I understood his logic. I mean, if I had come home, do you really think I would have wanted to go back? Things were easier here at the time, and I wanted to come back here more than anything."

"But that feeling was temporary right? Once you made new friends and got some fans, the people back home didn't matter anymore?" Miley demanded, her voice cracking.

"You don't know what it's like, Miley. If you answered the phone tomorrow and were offered to get signed right then and there, you're telling me you'd say no? You would rather stay in this small town the rest of your life instead of performing in front of thousands of fans who adore you and your music?"

"Of course." Miley answered without hesitation, her eyes boring straight into Nick's. He gave her a sceptical look. "I know what it feels like to be left behind. I wouldn't want anyone else to feel the way I felt."

"You say that now, but if it were to happen, you would go. I bet you all the money I have that you would." Nick told her, shaking his head angrily. He hadn't wanted to hurt her or make her angry, but he had been offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Was she selfish enough to pick her happiness over his?

"Look Nick, you're right." Miley finally admitted after a moment, earning a shocked look from the boy. "I don't know how it feels and I probably never will. But you hurt me so bad when you left and I'll never ever forget that feeling. I guess that's why I haven't been able to forgive you boys."

"I am so sorry, Miley." Nick said again, not knowing what else to say. "I never meant to hurt you and I can promise you that."

"I know. Did I ever congratulate you on your success?" Miley sniffles, wiping more tears with the back of her hand. Nick offered her a small smile, shaking his head. "Well, congrats."

"Thank you." Nick responded, earning a watery smile in response. He shuffles closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder in an act of comfort, surprising the girl once more. It seemed the late hour had made the two teenagers vulnerable and they admitted more about themselves than they would have at any other moment. Miley eventually put her arm back around him, which started an awkward one-armed hug. But the boy and girl had finally talked out their confusing past and they both had a feeling that things could only get better.

* * *

**I'm hoping you guys still remember me - the worst story updater ever. ****But I made this chapter the longest one to date & threw in some Niley to make up for it. I hope it helps :)**

******Oh & Happy (belated) Valentines Day! I hope you all had someone to spend it with & that it went really well for you!(:**

**So who has a twitter? Follow me - twitter . com /lifelikethisx and I'll follow you back, promise.**

**ps. Who do you think Demi was talking about in her tweets today? For those of you without twitter, she tweeted 'He's not your prince charming if he doesn't make sure you know that your his princess. ;)' & then after that, 'You need to have as much respect for yourself, as you do for your fella. If not, then are you really happy with him?' **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

Nick walked into the kitchen on Tuesday morning clad in only a pair of plaid pyjama pants. He hummed softly to himself as he sauntered over to the cupboard, pulling it open and eagerly reaching for some cereal. He had been in a good mood all weekend and even stayed content through Monday, seeing as he was on good terms with everyone in the household. He twirled around with a box of Braison's cereal in his hand and immediately his humming stopped.

"What?" Joe snapped immediately as Nick glanced in his direction, glaring at his younger brother. Nick frowned; looking over his shoulder to make sure it was him Joe was referring to, before looking confusedly at his older brother.

"What's your deal?" Nick wondered, pouring his breakfast into a bowl and drowning it in milk. Joe just roughly shoved a page of the magazine in his hand over, ignoring his brother. Nick opened his mouth to question his brother again, but was quickly cut off.

"Where's my school bag? Am I not allowed to go to school now because you can't go, Joseph?" Miley yelled, stomping her feet as she thundered down the stairs. "You know, this is so stupid."

"So are you." Joe muttered as Miley entered the kitchen fully dressed and ready to go to school.

"Clever." She told him sarcastically, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she passed Nick on her way to the fridge. "Morning, Nicholas."

"What's going on?" He wondered, munching on a spoonful of his breakfast. Joe kept flipping through his newspaper angrily, mumbling incoherent words to himself. Miley pulled out a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of orange juice before she answered.

"Your brother has decided that I'm not allowed to do anything at all unless it's okay by him. Isn't that right, Joseph? Wait, am I even allowed to call you that?" Miley mocked, throwing her head back and gulping her orange juice down like it was a shot. She slammed the cup down on the counter, glaring at the area where Joe was sitting.

"Do I really have to ask again?" Nick wondered, his eyes skipping from Miley to his brother confusedly. When nobody answered him, he tried again, "What's going on?"

"Since you went to that stupid show last week, all of us got in trouble. Apparently, we're not allowed out late because we are the Grey Brothers," Joe spoke in a mocking voice, "and we are famous. The night is hazardous to us, in case somebody wants to kidnap or murder or steal from the world-famous trio."

"What the –"

"Don't swear!" Miley shouted, putting her hands over her ears in exaggeration, "You'll corrupt your youthful innocence!"

"Can I have the short version of this story?" Nick demanded, completely out of patience.

"You suck." Miley said easily, dropping her arms back down to her sides and shrugging her shoulders. Nick rolled his eyes,

"A slightly longer version, thanks."

"Okay, here's the deal. Your manager found out that you were in an 'unsupervised area' at a 'vulnerable time' and therefore you and your brothers are 'banned from participating in late night activities'. Unless, of course, you're escorted by a bodyguard." Miley explained sourly, obviously quoting somebody else's lecture. She waited for Nick to process her speech, pouring herself another glass of juice.

"But we don't have a bodyguard here." Nick stated the obvious after a few seconds, which caused Miley to roll her eyes impatiently.

"Obviously."

"So what does that have to do with you being mad at Joe?"

"Well, Joseph here is the whiniest, most selfish person on the whole entire planet and argued with your manager or parents or whoever about it. They decided it wasn't fair if I get more privileges than you guys since you're 'just trying to adapt and fit in', so I'm not allowed out either. No gigs until you leave."

"Now we can spend some quality time together." Joe smiled falsely, batting his eyelashes at her. She glared back at him, anger shooting through every vain in her body.

"You are so lucky Nick is a witness here, or else you'd be dead." Miley spat, taking a sip of her juice.

"I can talk to my manager about it and get him to change his mind." Nick looked at Miley for approval, not wanting to anger her anymore. But she shook her head to dismiss the idea, her mouth twisting into a mocking frown.

"You really think I didn't consider that? I already got Kevin to try to persuade him but it's still a solid no. You guys are on such a short leash, it's crazy. Teenagers should be allowed to go out late at night, it's like an unwritten rule."

"It's _like _not a rule if you're, _like,_ a Grey Brother." Joe teased her sourly.

"I'm leaving before I do something I'll regret." Miley let out a gush of air, dropping her empty cup into the sink, "Oh, wait. I can't because _someone _stole my schoolbag."

"Seriously, Miley? Why would I steal your schoolbag?" Joe wondered venomously, still flipping through the magazine.

"You stole my freedom, so why wouldn't you?" Miley shot back.

"'_You stole my freedom'?_ Are you seriously using that as a defence or are you kidding?" Joe laughed, finally looking up at the angry female.

"I'm one hundred percent serious! You stole my freedom and Cindy's, not to mention Taylor's, Demi's, Mitchell's –"

"You know, if you weren't already a musician, I would definitely recommend acting as a career path for you. You're already dramatic enough for the job."

"And _you_ are impossible, so I'm done talking to you." Miley spoke firmly, turning away from Joe's flushed face and towards Nick, "You're going to be late for school and I'm not waiting for you. I'll see you there."

"What? You can't wait five minutes?" Nick frowned, placing his bowl in the sink and glancing at the clock that hung above the kitchen table.

"Nope, Demi's here now to pick me up and she has zero patience." Miley told him, glancing around the kitchen once more for confirmation that her schoolbag wasn't in the room.

"No she isn't…" Nick objected, glancing at the front door instinctively. He was surprised to see a shiny truck sitting in the driveway, while a horn honked and caught him completely off-guard.

"I told you. If you wanna make it before the bell rings, I suggest you high-tail it upstairs." Miley gave a small smile, turning on her heel and walking out of the kitchen.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Write down the homework on the board, and you're free to go." The teacher shouted over the talking students. The majority of them immediately rose from their chairs and made a beeline for the classroom door, but Miley was one of the few people who stayed behind. She scribbled the homework pages onto the back of her hand before collecting her books and heading out of the classroom.

"Finally," Demi huffed as Miley reached her locker, "I was getting old here waiting for you."

"Excuse me for trying to further my education." Miley replied sarcastically, spinning her combination and pulling her locker open. Demi circled behind her, slamming the locker open to check her makeup in Miley's small mirror that hung on the locker door.

"So on a more important subject, guess what amazing band is playing tonight?"

"Hopefully not Catastrophe, because their lead singer isn't allowed to perform." Miley informed her, shoving the books she needed into her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. She had found her backpack hung up in her locker that morning, which made her smile in relief when she pulled it open. Demi's finger froze while grazing her lip and she stared at Miley's reflection in the square mirror.

"You're kidding, right?" Demi finally demanded, her jaw dropping when Miley shook her head. "Why can't you come?"

"The Grey Brothers," Miley stated as if it clarified everything, adding a quick eye roll. She then tugged her locker out of Demi's grasp and slammed it closed. "The short version of the story is that I have a ten o'clock curfew until the Grey's leave. Either that, or their manager sends a bodyguard all the way out here, which I doubt is going to happen."

"Wow, seriously? That's harsh." Demi frowned, leading the way through the crowded school hallway. As Miley dragged her feet alongside Demi, she couldn't help but glance up at the very last locker on the wall. It was open, and a frowning blonde haired boy stood in front of it, getting shouted at by the swarm of people around him.

"I guess Lucas is still getting attention for his 'talent' or lack thereof." Demi scoffed, watching as somebody chucked an empty matchbook at Lucas' head, the flimsy material barely making contact on his skin.

"People aren't over it yet? We got off school for that, so they should be grateful. Other than the smell that hung around here last week, everything was normal." Miley said in Lucas' defence, but both she and Demi crinkled their noses disgustedly at the thought of the odour that had hung around the school hallway outside the theatre. All the window, floor and air cleaners had done was add yet another scent to mix into the lingering odour of smoke, burnt wood and melted plastic.

Demi just shook her head as a response, leading the way out the school's double doors where Taylor was waiting patiently for them. "Hey Tay, no show tonight."

"Mhm, Miles told me in third period. I bet Mitchell's gonna flip." Taylor sighed, digging the heel of her boot into the hard cement. "Are you sure you can't convince Cindy to let you go tonight? What made her set a curfew anyways?"

"Trust me, I've tried everything. The Grey's are suppost to be here to get their heads back on their shoulders and according to their manager who yelled at Cindy via e-mail, staying out late at our gigs is unacceptable behaviour. It ruins the whole reason for them to be here, apparently." Miley explained, recalling Cindy's brief panic attack after reading the e-mail. Cindy was trying to bring up four teenagers, which was more than stressful for her. After reading the unexpected e-mail, she figured she wasn't doing a good enough job to bring them up properly and she completely freaked out. It took three cups of tea, a convincing pep-talk from Miley and a reassuring phone call from Denise, the boys' mother, to calm her down.

"That's not fair! I mean, the three pinheads can stay home and we can go out to do our _job._ Our band and what we do does not concern them whatsoever." Demi ranted, her face reddening with anger.

"I know, Dems. But they aren't staying here permanently, so when they finally leave, we can get back to our lives. I'm just mad that we wouldn't have had to stop anything if Joe hadn't opened his big mouth." Miley sighed. The girls then fell quiet for a moment, all three of them thinking unkind thoughts at the brothers who were occupying a room in Cindy's house.

"So, I guess we might as well tell Mitchell." Taylor spoke, reaching into her pocket to pull out her cell phone which was decked out in fun stickers and tiny coloured jewels. She tapped her fingernail against the screen for a few seconds before looking up at Miley. "You're his girlfriend, you do it."

"Scared?" Miley giggled, pulling out her own cell phone from her jeans. Taylor's cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson but she didn't answer. Instead, she watched silently as Miley's fingers flew across her keypad.

**To: Mitchell (:  
Cant do show tonight. No shows till Greys leave :\**

Miley waited a few seconds after sending the text, listening to Taylor and Demi mutter angrily about the unfair conditions. She figured Mitchell would be climbing onto the school bus, eager to get to his house and get his homework done before the show. Because of this train of thought, Miley was surprised when she got a reply from her boyfriend almost immediately.

**From: Mitchell (:  
K no prob. **

Miley stared at her screen in confusion, while Taylor snuck a peek at the small screen from over her shoulder.

"Did he really just say he has no problem with the show being cancelled?" Taylor wondered, not bothering to hide her surprised expression. Everyone knew Mitchell was like the band's leader – he scheduled almost every one of the shows, coordinated most of the events, invited everybody he could to the gigs, _everything._ And he absolutely hated it when somebody pulled out at the last minute.

"Wonder what's up with him?" Demi questioned as she raised a questioning eyebrow. Miley just shrugged, her disbelief plastered on her face as she shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"Well, since we have no plans tonight anymore, do you want to go out to dinner or something? I'm sure we'd get back before ten." Taylor joked with a wide smile, hooking her arm through Demi's and her other through Miley's. Miley and Demi both accepted the offer, heading over to Demi's newly fixed truck and piling in.

**

"I'm sorry, but I'm bored out of my mind." Taylor sighed, doodling on her binder thoughtlessly. "We should just skip the homework and go straight to dinner."

"At four thirty?" Demi laughed at Taylor's expression, flipping a page in her chemistry textbook.

"Maybe we could go shopping first. We haven't been shopping in forever." Taylor pointed out, giving Miley a hopeful look. Demi let out a long gust of air, being one of those rare girls who cannot stand the thought of shopping.

"Tay," Miley started gently, "You're failing chem. I think you should finish this before we go out."

"Fine," Taylor moans, stretching her legs out and standing up, "but next time, I call the shots."

"Okay," Demi easily agreed, happy that she wouldn't have to go shopping with Taylor, the girl who can buy out entire stores in one sitting. She loved the blonde to death, but her shopping habits were crazy. She glanced up at Taylor's figure, confused to see her walking towards Miley's bedroom door, "Wait, where are you going?"

"I need to pee, do you mind?" Taylor giggled, skipping the rest of the short distance out the door and shutting the bedroom door behind her.

It was quiet in the room as the two brunettes focused on their schoolwork. Demi was continuously writing down the correct answers, confident in her work as always. However Miley was struggling with her homework, finding herself using her eraser almost as much as her pencil. No matter how hard she tried, Miley couldn't find the same answer as the one given in the answer pages at the back of the thick textbook. Demi, frustrated after watching her best friend struggle, moved closer to her and helped her in the subject like she had done so many times before.

Finally, as Miley seemed to understand the confusing concepts, she glanced at Demi's wrist to check her watch for confirmation of the time. She was startled to realize it was already ten past five, while more surprised to find that Taylor hadn't returned from the bathroom yet.

"I guess we can head out now." Demi decided as she followed Miley's line of sight and checked the time. She shoved her textbook closed and threw it in the bag hanging on Miley's bedpost, turning around slowly while she said, "Hey Tay, did you – wait, where is she?"

"I was just wondering the same thing." Miley said curiously, rolling off her bed and onto her feet as Demi grabbed both her own backpack and Taylor's. The girls headed out of Miley's bedroom and crept down the hallway, glancing at the open bathroom door at the end of the hall that revealed an empty room.

"Hey! That's cheating – I said you can't chicken out. You have to give an answer in a game of 'Would You Rather' or else there's no point." Taylor's logic was thrown into the hallway, followed by a boy's laughter drifting out of Nick and Joe's room. Demi raised an eyebrow at Miley's disbelieving expression, following closely behind her as she whipped open Joe's door to reveal Joe and Taylor sitting casually in the room. Joe was lying on his bed, while Taylor was propped up against the wall while sitting cross-legged on Nick's bed.

"Oh, hey girls." Joe smiled, revealing a wide row of teeth while Taylor waved enthusiastically and made a move to get up.

"What's going on in here?" Demi asked accusingly from behind Miley, glaring at Joe. She was still mad at him for cancelling their band's plans for that night, and for many nights that were to come. While her angry gaze was focused on Joe, she did spot Taylor's hard look and encouraging nod directed at the boy from the corner of her eye.

"Joe would like to apologize for his behaviour." Taylor stated when Joe refused to say anything. She continued to give Joe that hard look until he sighed unhappily and finally spoke,

"I'm sorry for making you miss out on your band stuff or whatever." He said, obviously uncomfortable. He seemed unsure of his sincerity and quickly added to his apology after receiving a glare from all three girls, "And I'm sorry for being selfish and only thinking about myself. I know it wasn't cool of me."

"Thanks, Joe." Miley smiled slightly, confused as to why he was apologizing when he had been so stubborn that morning, but glad nevertheless. Demi mumbled something under her breath that sounded like Miley's accepting remark, while Taylor just smiled.

"Sorry I took so long, but Joe was sitting in here all by himself so I thought it would be a good time to grill him for his behaviour. And then he apologized so I thought it would be cool to talk to him for a bit. Homework _really _isn't my thing." Taylor explained at Miley's still questioning looks, relaxing when Miley smiled at her understandingly.

"So are you a fan now?" Joe joked, sitting up from his previous position and looking at Taylor questioningly.

"Sorry Grey, it'll take more than three rounds of 'Would You Rather' with you to change my views. I'm a stubborn person." Taylor admitted proudly, adding a laugh at the end to lighten up her words.

"Okay," Miley spoke finally, "We gotta go, so…"

"Oh, out to dinner right?" Joe asked confidently, and it was clear that his question had double meaning. Miley glanced briefly at Demi, who just shrugged as a response, before sighing and turning back to Joe,

"You can come, if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be awesome." Joe smiled, jumping up off of his bed and following the girls out of the bedroom. Demi handed Taylor her backpack as they descended the stairs, earning a pout from Taylor at the thought of the books inside. Miley grabbed her purse from the table beside the door before pulling the front door open to let her friends through. She shouted at Cindy to tell her she was leaving and waited to hear her guardian's reply before walking out onto the front steps and closing the door behind her.

The four teenagers made their way outside, finding Nick outside with Braison. The two of them were playing an intense game of basketball in the driveway, bringing a smile to Miley's face. It was nice to see the two of them cooperating, even though Braison had made it clear that Nick wasn't on his good side. Miley guessed the harsh feelings from Braison towards Nick had been dependant on Miley's feelings for him, since her sibling and her had always been close and he hated seeing her hurt.

"Where are you guys headed off to?" Nick questioned as the teenagers piled into Demi's truck. Miley turned to face him with a smile as she told him they were headed out to dinner. He nodded, his eyes asking the same unspoken Joe had. Miley nodded, letting out a soft sigh as she said,

"Would you like to come, too?"

Naturally Nick accepted, walking back over to where Braison was waiting to tell him that he was leaving. Miley climbed into the bed of the pick-up truck and sat down next to Joe, since Taylor had claimed the passenger seat inside the truck. After a few brief minutes, Nick hopped into the truck and claimed a spot beside Miley. As they pulled away from the house, Miley watched her younger brother continue to shoot hoops by himself, not bothered at all to be alone. It was at times like that she wished she could be more like Braison.

**

"As if you ordered steak. That's such a guy cliché." Taylor mocked the boy sitting between her and Miley at the end of the round booth. Nick just rolled his eyes at the blonde, ignoring the giggle coming from Miley beside him. Across the round table from Miley, Joe sat comfortably beside Taylor. Demi was seated at the end of the booth like Miley, and she smiled happily when she caught Miley's eye.

"As if you ordered _salad. _That is, like, such a girl cliché." Joe smiled jokingly, tossing his hair wildly. Taylor shook her head at him stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest.

"You can't recycle my jokes." Taylor said confidently, while everybody sitting around the table laughed at her behaviour.

"They do have that signature Taylor Smith trademark about them." Demi agreed with a smile. Miley glanced across the table at her best friend, her face radiating the happiness she felt. She finally had her old friends back, along with the new ones she had made along the way. She felt as if nothing could bring her down as her friends sat around her, all of them laughing and smiling and having a good time.

But t hat was until she glanced across the restaurant and her a t t e n t i o n focused on a familiar face. The long brown hair that fell into a pair of amused eyes belonged to her boyfriend Mitchell, sitting across from an unfamiliar blonde girl. Miley's face fell in disbelief, her eyes taking it all in as Mitchell reached for the girl's hand and she extended it to him easily.

"Miley, we're talking to you." Nick laughed and nudged her ribs softly, but hard enough to grab her attention. She glanced up at him, feeling hurt and humiliated and he instantly frowned at the expression on her face.

"Hey, are you okay?" Taylor asked from across the table, reaching her hand out to her best friend. Miley shook her head sadly, but refused to let herself cry until she heard Mitchell admit the truth to her. There could be a logical explanation as to why he was sitting in a fancy restaurant with a pretty girl, holding her hand delicately, leaning towards her suggestively, and speaking to her so intensely that anybody could tell they didn't want to be bothered.

_This _was why Mitchell wasn't angry about the cancelled show. He already had other arrangements with _her._ Had he planned to bail anyways, or had he told her to meet with him after Miley texted him?

"I'm fine. But, uh, Mitchell's here." Miley finally spoke, her eyes flickering back to Mitchell's table. He was leaning back in his chair at that moment and his hand had detached from the pretty blonde's, seeing as their waiter had come with their meals and was setting Mitchell's down in front of him carefully.

Four sets of eyes followed Miley's line of vision, each of them widening in shock. It confirmed Miley's fear – they could see the connection that lay between the two teenagers too. Before her friends' attention had returned to their table, Miley was up and out of the booth, making her way out of the restaurant as fast as her feet would carry her.

* * *

**:O**

**-- Ten points to whoever guesses where this is going with Mitchell & unnamed woman; Think.. outside the box. (;**

**The Last Song comes out in THREE DAYS. I'm so stoked & deffinitely going to see the midnight showing, anyone else?**

**Oh & to whoever follows my twitter, you'll know the reason I haven't been on the computer since.. forever? It's a long story, but I'm back for now.  
Plus, I posted this as soon as I finished it, so I'll probably go back & edit it tomorrow. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

Miley dashed through the restaurant doors, eager to leave the scene of her boyfriend and another woman someplace far away from her. She had no intention to leave her best friends but just needed space to breathe and settle her rattled emotions, which made her resort to seeking comfort out of an old wooden bench a good walk away from the restaurant.

"Breathe." The brunette muttered to herself hopelessly, dropping onto the stiff bench and pulling her long legs up into her chest. She sighed deeply, scanning the familiar streets around her in hopes of a distraction. When none came however, she found herself deep in thought about what she was suppost to do in her situation.

Chewing her lip in indecision about whether or not she should just walk back into the building, Miley simply sighed once more, leaning her head back on the back of the bench and closing her eyes.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"I don't get what she sees in him." Demi growled, staring across the room at Miley's boyfriend.

"He's your friend, Demi. Don't say that." Joe shook his head, his gaze flickering between the brown haired girl and the boy she was glaring at. He understood her anger and felt the emotion bubbling up in him also, but knew how deceiving things can look from the outside. He was a celebrity, one who was often misjudged on every aspect of his life. Between the family feuds, angry ex-girlfriends and enormous ego he supposedly had, his fans had a biased look on him thanks in large part to the media.

Scratch that – that whole ego issue was real.

"I wish he would stop playing this stupid hot and cold game with her though. One day he's all over Miley saying how much he loves her and today – this. If he was my boyfriend, I'd of gone over there by now and knocked some sense into him." Demi hissed, glancing around the crowded place and huffing loudly before turning her attention back to her own table where Taylor was pushing Nick out of the booth, "Where are the waiters in this place? We need the bill, _now_."

"Okay, I'm going to see if Miles is alright before Demi rips someone's head off." The blonde smiled faintly, concerned about her best friend's relationship. She spun around to speak once more before heading out after Miley but her train of thought changed when she found Nick standing beside her. Taylor shook her head at the boy, knowing the discussion she was going to have with Miley should be between two best friends only, "No, you stay."

"Come on Taylor, I want to help her." Nick urged, shuffling his weight from foot to foot as he tried to convince her that he was worthy of her trust in this situation, "I swear I won't start an argument. I just want to make sure she's okay."

"I'll be sure to report back, Nick. But seriously, there may not even be anything going on between – aw, man!" Taylor felt like screaming, punching something, anything to get her frustration out as she watched Mitchell lean over and plant a kiss on the girl's cheek. It may have looked innocent, but Taylor caught the way the blonde's eyes sparkled as he leaned away from her. She noticed the smile that lit Mitchell's face while he spoke and the blush that stained the girl's already rosy cheeks.

"That's disgusting." Demi was hissing again, her fingers clenching together into tight fists sitting on the tabletop. She couldn't believe the nerve of the boy and his seemingly bi-polar feelings for her best friend. Miley had been through so much, especially in the few weeks that had passed since the Grey Brothers had shown up, and Demi knew she didn't deserve anymore drama.

"Leaving," Taylor announced, shaking her head firmly at Nick's pleading look and ignoring the look of rejection that crossed his features as she twirled around. She was out the restaurant doors almost as quickly as Miley had travelled, glancing around the streets lined with people for Miley.

Taylor finally spotted the girl in question and made her way over to her as quickly as she could, watching the girl gather her legs into her chest in a vain attempt at calming herself down. Fiddling with the beaded bracelet on her wrist, Taylor finally reached her best friend and claimed the seat beside her.

"You're above this, Miley." The blonde immediately said after seeing the hurt look on Miley's face. Taylor knew Miley better than the back of her hand, already _knowing _that Miley wasn't okay and needed a friend to help boost her up. There was no sense wasting time with useless questions about how she was feeling while her best friend was quite obviously hurting.

"I love him, Tay, so much. And I know that he loves me too," The brunette started stubbornly, "But we're just going through another rough patch. We'll get through it… Right?"

"Honestly, I don't know how much longer you two are going to keep this up." Taylor admitted, looking up at the twists of pink and purple dancing around the setting sun for a few brief seconds before turning to face Miley's confused gaze with a knowing look, "Things changed. I've known since that day I called you and you told me that you and Mitch had been fighting a lot. Things have been so different recently – so unlike how you started your relationship."

"But we're still the same people we were when he asked me out two years ago, Tay. And no matter what is or isn't happening in there, I know that he and I will get through this. We've been there for each other since the first day we met and we've never kept important things from each other. That has to count for something… I mean, we've lasted all this time!" Miley defended her relationship, hanging onto the last threads of hope that she felt were keeping her heart together. Taylor didn't respond, but just let the words her best friend had spoken linger between them in a skeptical silence. She glanced back up at the sky, finally breaking through the barrier of silence with the harsh truth she had been thinking over in her head,

"Maybe this is a good thing, Mi. I mean, you didn't honestly think you were going to end up marrying Mitchell, did you?"

"No," Miley finally spoke, dropping her feet onto the ground and turning her body to face Taylor directly, "I never thought about that, actually. Because I'm so used to having everything I love get pulled away from me that I _can't _think about the future. When it happens – when he ends up leaving me, I can't get crushed if I don't hope."

The girl was broken. It was so painfully obvious that even strangers walking through the street could tell. Miley had been repeatedly let down by so many people that it broke Taylor's heart just to think about. She wanted Miley to be happy – honestly, genuinely happy – and not just to settle for someone because she didn't want to get hurt by someone she truly loved.

She may think she loves Mitchell, but does she actually? Maybe before, in the first months of their relationship, Miley had been happy with him and the feelings he gave her. But it had changed so fast that Taylor had barely grasped it – Mitchell's silly, love-struck smile must have stolen Miley's and gone into hiding, while their interest in just _being _with each other had completely diminished. Taylor was certain that she wasn't the only person who saw this and it was about time she stated her honest opinion.

If Mitchell and Miley proved this was a speed bump in an otherwise smooth road ahead of them, then Taylor would support their relationship one hundred percent. And if not, Taylor would still be there for her very best friend, prepared with a shoulder to cry on and a long string of jokes to keep Miley laughing.

"Miles… I know you've had an unfair amount of bad luck thrown your way. But I also know you're going to move on from this because you're obviously incredibly strong. And if it's any consolation, I'll always be here when you need me. No matter what, you'll always be my best friend. I promise."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"Finally," Nick sighed as the waiter left their table, leaving five meals on the table in front of the teenagers. "I thought he was never going to come by. Joe, why don't you wait and get that packaged up? You can eat it at home."

"But it'll be cold." Joe complained in utter disbelief, shoving overly large forkfuls of meat into his mouth. Demi looked at her untouched noodle dish, wondering if her stomach would settle enough for her to eat at all. She doubted it, instead looking over her shoulder at the blonde girl again.

"They're holding hands again and – ew, he just kissed her hand! Come on, boy, not at the dinner table." Demi sniffed, her face portraying the disgust she felt as she turned back to the table. She threw her napkin onto the table and sighed, "I'm going to the restroom. Tell Taylor to come find me if she gets back before I do."

Demi looked up and spotted the blonde girl's eyes on her, following her figure all the way down the rows of tables until she passed theirs. Demi wasn't close enough to catch the gist of their conversation, but could hear the woman loud and clear when she spoke,

"I just need to stop by the restroom real quick."

Demi almost stopped and ran back to her table, seeing as this girl was already unintentionally testing her patience. This girl was already the last person on the planet that Demi wanted to see, which meant that the two of them in a small, quiet area where they might interact suggested that Demi might lose it and that would not be pretty.

But Demi was nothing if not determined; she refused to back down to this girl. Instead she straightened her back, tilted her head so it held high and almost marched her way into the women's bathroom. Instantly she noticed one thing: there were only four or five stalls in the small area. And the other thing? They were all empty.

"So, did you see something you like?" The door swung open and Mitchell's dinner companion walked in, immediately seizing the large mirror located over the sinks. Demi stepped away from her, regarding her question with a confused look. The blonde laughed, staring at Demi in the mirror while pulling out a tube of mascara from a small bag in her purse, "I saw you ogling my date from across the restaurant. Don't try and play it down."

"Excuse me? You don't even know what you're talking about." Demi scoffed, her face reddening in anger. The blonde chuckled humourlessly, flicking the mascara brush over her eyelashes skilfully and opened her mouth to respond. Demi was faster, blurting out, "What's your name?"

"Why does it matter? Gonna make this little scene dramatic enough for a high school play?" The girl shot back, dropping the mascara into her small make-up bag and producing an eyeliner pencil instead.

"I'm not interested in Mitchell," Demi clarified dismissively, instantly realizing her mistake in revealing the tidbits of information she knew as she watched the girl's eyes widen at her in the mirror.

"You know Mitch?" She demanded, dropping her eyeliner onto the counter around the sinks and spinning around to stare Demi in the face, "Are you friends? When I described you to him – you know, to make sure he watches out for a potential stalker – he didn't say he knew you."

"You described me to him?" Demi squeaked in horror, ignoring her snide remark.

"Don't answer my question with a question." The girl snapped, glaring at Demi when she realized she wasn't going to get anymore answers. "Whatever, my date will be wondering where I am."

"Your _date,_ as in you guys are _dating_?" Demi wondered desperately, itching to get some answers for Miley. The mysterious girl shook her head and laughed again,

"You really think I'm gonna tell some stalker-chick in a public restroom about my personal life? The answer is no. I'm not telling you anything, so why don't you get back to –"

The door swung open quite suddenly and Taylor popped her head in, her blonde curls swinging as she walked purposefully into the room. Immediately she noticed the girl she was looking for and the girl she least expected in the same room, causing her to glance at Demi questioningly. Demi just gave Taylor a meaningful look, discreetly motioning at the other blonde in the room before catching the bathroom door and sliding out. She hoped Taylor would understand that she hadn't gotten any information from the girl and that Taylor would be able to uncover the facts they needed. Once the door shut completely, Demi let out a long gush of air in relief and high-tailed it away from the restrooms, her initial reason for going over there pushed to the back of her mind.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Taylor, however, glanced over at the blonde across from her. She couldn't deny the girl was pretty, especially with the way her perfectly pin-straight hair fell daintily over her petite shoulders, making the blue of her eyes stand out. Her dress was a delicate shade of pink that ended just above the knee, with a thick dark brown belt just above the center of her torso.

Taylor didn't want to exchange words with this girl, but she thought about her best friend and the condition she was in. Acting out of respect for Miley, Taylor plastered a friendly smile on her face that looked effortless enough to be real. It was time for her acting skills to be put to the ultimate test.

"Do you know her?" Mystery girl shot right off the bat with a quick nod at the closed bathroom door, while Taylor tilted her head to the side as if she was confused and shook her head softly. The blonde chuckled, "Oh, well, that's good then. She was creeping me out. She walked in here and practically demanded I tell her my date's name. Weird, right?"

"Very," Taylor agreed and then after a second of thought added a lie, snuck into an easily relatable statement, "I'm here with my boyfriend, too. I hate it when people stop by our table to ask him his name."

A moment of silence passed between the two blonde girls while the unnamed woman turned away from Taylor to shove her make-up back into her purse. She didn't say anything to prove Taylor's assumption to be true, but didn't bother denying it either. What did that mean? Taylor racked her brain for something to say to make the girl talk again, ready to blurt the first thing that came to mind.

"I love your bracelet!" Taylor instantly squealed as her eyes raked over the girl's arm, pointing to the charm bracelet she was sporting, "Sorry – I have a huge collection of jewellery at home, so I can't help but obsess over what other people accessorize with."

"Oh, don't worry – I love showing it to people." The girl relented, turning back around and holding her wrist out for Taylor to inspect. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the girl's obvious love for being the center of attention, Taylor did her best to keep the interested look on her face as she studied the bracelet, "They're real gold – every charm."

"Wow, it's so beautiful. Where did you get it?" Taylor asked, pretending not to notice the blonde scorn at her old, faded beaded bracelet that hung loosely on her wrist.

"My dad bought me the bracelet itself and the rest were gifts from my family. You know, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles – whoever wants to get on my good side." She laughed for the first time, dangling the bracelet around as she tried to cover up the first flash of uncertainty that crossed her features. Taylor pretended not to have heard that last comment, since she had already assumed she had a rich family just by the look of the gold jewellery. But the girl was obviously surprised at her easy slip-up, reaching for her purse she had left on the counter and barely glancing at Taylor as she spoke, "Well, I gotta go. Nice meeting you…"

"Taylor," The blonde smiled, putting her hand out for a handshake. The girl smiled slightly at Taylor's friendly gesture, sliding her small hand into Taylor's patient one after only a slight hesitation.

"Lilly."

**- - - - - - - - - -**

"I'm sorry that had to happen to you."

"You didn't deserve that, Miles."

"That boy doesn't see what's right in front of him."

Miley was tired of her friends talking about her and Mitchell's relationship as if they had just broken up. They hadn't and when they got through this rough patch, they were going to look back at the people who had doubted them at that moment and laugh.

Sure, Miley was fighting with him a lot more than normal these days and they didn't spend as much time together as they used to. They didn't seem to be on the same page anymore and Mitchell seemed to get frustrated at every little thing she did. But he still did the cute romantic things that he used to – like when he spontaneously gave her that single red rose in the hallway at school. Miley paused to think back… How many weeks ago was that? She wasn't sure but it had been at least a few, and suddenly she was over-analyzing every aspect of their time together.

"So, who was that girl anyways?" Miley interrupted Taylor's detailed and thorough speech about how girls don't need a man to live their lives to the fullest, watching Taylor's face suspiciously.

"Her name's Lilly," Taylor started, continuing to fill her best friend in about every detail she could remember and how she interpreted the girl's behaviour, "She didn't say she was with Mitchell as a girlfriend, but she did say he was her date."

"She said the same thing to me, too." Demi said before Miley could question Taylor's hearing, instantly feeling bad when Miley's face fell.

"You're a boy, Nick, what do you think?" Miley turned to face him in the small bed of the pick-up truck, eagerly awaiting his input.

"Well Miles –" Nick started, unhappy that he was going to have to watch her hopes fall again. He knew that something was going on between Mitchell and this new girl, 'Lilly' simply by the way they acted throughout their meal. No boy goes through that much trouble for a lady if he has no intentions of being with her.

But he was saved by the sound of Miley's phone chiming through her purse, and she clamoured to silence it. But when she finally dug it out from under the junk in her purse, Miley flipped her phone open so fast it almost snapped right off. She pressed a few buttons, which led Nick to believe she was reading a text. She read the text quickly, her eyes roaming back and forth across the screen multiple times as if she couldn't believe what she was reading, before her posture slouched and she let out a long, sad sigh.

"Miles?" Demi asked in concern, reaching her hand out to comfort her friend. Nick leaned over Miley's shoulder to read the text on her cell phone's glowing screen, trying not to make her uncomfortable but unable to mask his curiosity. His stomach clenched when he read the signature four words displayed on the screen,

**From: Mitchell (:**

**We have 2 talk.**

* * *

**Ohhhh man.**

**TEN POINTS to music-1s-my-life for guessing it was Lilly & an extra 572024294 points for being the ONLY one to guess correctly ;)**

**Oh, & The Last Song was amazing. Go see it if you haven't. No joke.**

**Also, the only reason I finished this chapter was because of my twi-taah. It was a method of motivation and even though I wanted something to trend that didn't, I thought 'what-the-heck' and posted anywhoo. That's why this may seem kind of like a filler, because in a way it is, but in larger way it isn't. Comprende?! (;**

**Thanks for sticking with me through this story so far, you guys rock. Majorly. :D**


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